


Dig You Up

by snick_snack



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M!Byleth - Freeform, M/M, Monster Slayer AU, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23313295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snick_snack/pseuds/snick_snack
Summary: Dragons were once believed to have risen the land from the great sea, but have long since vanished. In their place, beasts have gone mad, attacking human populations. Byleth and his father are known for their swift actions in taking the beasts out.The Empress catches word of their actions and calls on Byleth to investigate a forest fire along the border, believing that dragons have returned to their land.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 24
Kudos: 72





	1. The Dream is Good

The beast had given them a good fight. It had been a while since they faced one with such fight in its soul. Its body would feed their village for a good few weeks, at least. 

Byleth pulled the cart they had loaded it up onto, dragging it through the mud along the path back. His father next to him carried the pack that held their weapons and ceremonial plants. 

He never really understood the purpose behind sprinkling the body with herbs and saying a few sweet words. It was a dead creature. What good could that possibly do? But his father insisted. And he obeyed. He didn’t have to understand it to follow it. 

They reached the gates, the gateman opening it up eagerly for the two men and their load. 

The first stop was at the village butcher. The old man, balding and sweaty, eagerly accepted their offer of the beast. He hummed and hawed over the quality and praised them for a clean kill. As if they got anything else. 

Jeralt slapped him once on the back, giving him a gruff “good job, kid.” And they were off to see the visiting lord who’d come to them for help. 

The inn was at the edge of town, near the back gate. It wasn’t much, but the innkeeper was a proud man who kept it clean and put together as best he could now that his daughter had married and moved out. 

Byleth had never bothered to learn the lord’s name. His father was the one who did the talking with clients. He was the one who stood in the corner and held up their reputation as intimidating figures. Of course, Jeralt’s own size and attitude also did, but many more feared the blank stare in his eyes. 

The lord quickly paid and thanked them. He was from the north, apparently. That beast had followed him down here, past the capital. Those stories seemed to be happening more.

Many of those who found themselves in trouble with nature came to this backwater town tucked away in the trees. It made for good commerce for the local merchants, and good business for Byleth and his father.

Before he was born, Jeralt had been part of the national army, earning himself the name of “Blade Breaker.” The story he’d been told was that once he met his mother, he had decided to settle down and leave the army, but his strength was still needed. He took up mercenary work to help care for his new wife, and that lead into beast slaying. 

Byleth had, as sons often do, followed in his footsteps. The two of them had become a near legendary team. Byleth had become something to be feared as well, earning his own nickname among the people. He had never cared for it, but most people outside his village only knew him by that name. 

Once they were done with the lord, they quickly left and went down the path leading back to their small house at the far end of the village. As soon as they passed through their low fence, his mother was outside the door, a bright smile on her face.

“My boys are back!” She spread her arms out, greeting both of them with a hug. “How was the trip?” 

Jeralt returned her warm gesture. “It went well. The beast was a good fight.” 

Sitri ushered the two inside, the cabin warm and smelling of fresh food. “Well, you must be hungry. I had a feeling you’d be returning today, so I’ve made a stew.” 

Jeralt set the bag he’d been carrying down by the door, removing his armor with it. Byleth pulled his cloak off and hung it by the fire. 

They both came to the table as his mother set out two full bowls on the table, returning with her own to sit next to Jeralt. She immediately went into a story about something one of the other mothers in town did while they were gone. She had always taken it upon herself to fill the dinner table with conversation. 

Once he was finished eating, Byleth thanked his mother for the meal and excused himself to his room. It had been a long journey with the beast’s remains and he was tired. 

He lit a lantern in his room and pulled out a book from his shelf before settling into his bed for the night. 

\---

By the time the sun rose the following day, Byleth was already out, swinging his sword at the old practice dummies he and his father had made years ago. They had held up surprisingly well for all he had put them through. Still, it was maybe time to think about replacing them. 

As soon as his mother woke up, he had no doubt she would have him help her carry some of her flowers into the village square for the festival that night. 

He had always thought the festival was a silly one. It was apparently to celebrate the beings who founded the land. Dragons. No one, as far as Byleth knew, had ever discovered anything real about dragons. Many old animals and beings had left behind old buildings or bones. But no one had ever found such things from these dragons who’d once ruled the land. 

It seemed a little exaggerated. But then, most tales dating back as far as that were. 

Most of the villagers would speak of these as if they were gods. The story was that they had formed the land as it was today. They had rose mountains, filled the lakes with water and fish, cut the plains to create rivers. 

If they had been so powerful, where were they? 

Byleth believed in nothing he couldn’t cut with his blade. 

His father often lectured him on respecting the souls of the department, both human and otherwise. But what was a soul? He couldn’t see them. They were just what people called the connection between the physical body and the brain tucked inside their skulls. 

He had since quit asking his father to explain that concept to him. If he was meant to understand it, he would. 

He glanced up at the sky. It was bright, a few clouds lazily floating along the tree line in the distance. It would be warm for the festival tonight. 

“Byleth, can you come here?” His mother’s voice called from around the house. 

Byleth pushed his dummies against the wall to keep them out of the way and walked around to see her.

“Are you busy?” Byleth shook his head. “Can you help me put these cut flowers into the cart?” 

He wordlessly moved to pick a pile of the flowers she had already pulled and stacked them in the cart as gently as he could. As soon as she had everything loaded, Byleth picked the cart up and started pulling it toward the village center. 

At the village center, a few of the other mothers were mingling about, weaving or gossiping with each other. One of the ladies near the road they’d taken rushed up to meet Sitri.

“Oh Sitri, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for the flowers!” She plucked on of the flowers from the cart Byleth was still holding. “These are lovely! You’ve outdone yourself this year.” 

Sitri waved her off. “It was a good year for flowers.” She dismissed the compliment with a smile. 

“And Byleth! My goodness you’ve gotten handsome!” She laid her hand on his shoulder. He stared at it until she chuckled awkwardly and removed it. “Your mother tells us you and your father are quite successful in your business!” 

Byleth nodded. “I guess.” 

“Have you been seeing anyone?” She asked, the potential for gossip lighting a fire behind her eyes.

“No.”

“Oh. Well, my dear daughter is about your age, you know.” Of course he knew. He’d lived here his entire life. He and the girl had gone to school together. He just stared at her. “She’s quite the skilled seamstress.” 

“She tailored my pants a month ago.” Byleth pointed out. 

“That’s right!” The woman was glancing at his mother, clearly trying to find an out of the conversation. “I’d forgotten.” 

“Mary, dear, why don’t we let Byleth set the cart down before we ask him to date your daughter, hm?” His mother smiled at him. 

The woman just nodded and let him and his mother walk toward the alley nearby. Byleth set the cart down in the shadows and turned to his mother.

“Thank you so much for your help, Byleth. You can go back home if you like. I’d hate for you to get more propositions from the other mothers.” 

He just nodded, leaving his mother too it. Some of the other mothers called to him and waved as he walked out of the plaza. He just nodded to them. He didn’t really understand the need to interact with anyone outside of his parents and the occasional weapons dealer. His mother seemed to enjoy socializing, though. He would leave her to it.

The village was starting to come alive in preparation for the festival. The butcher was out smoking the meat he’d carved from the carcass they had brought him last night, humming a song Byleth couldn’t place. The man waved at him, and Byleth nodded back. The butcher had a tendency to go into far too much detail about his life. Graphic detail. Usually involving his wife.

Instead of going back to the house, he went out the village gates and headed into the forest. There was a river that ran through the forest not too far off from the gates. If he was going to this festival with the whole village tonight, he’d like to be alone for the day leading up to it. 

He followed the water leading up to his favorite spot. It was still in the shade of the trees, but there was a large rock hanging over the water, allowing him to sit and let his feet dangle in the water. 

Usually when he came out here, he’d bring his fishing pole and catch a few fish to eat for lunch, but he didn’t care to go to his house today. Instead he would just watch them lazily swim by. 

Byleth had found this place when he was around nine years old. His class had gone on a field trip outside the village gates to see how the guard posts worked. He’d gotten bored and wandered off, a bad habit his parents were desperately trying to break him of at the time. He’d gotten lost in the forest, drawn to the sound of water. Water typically meant fish and he loved when his dad brought fish home for mom to cook. 

He had come here ever since, sneaking off when the village got to be too much for him. No one else ever came out here. His father had been once, but never since then. 

Before he knew it, the sun was beginning to descend toward the western mountains. He yawned, stretching out and putting his shoes back on. If he didn’t get back soon, his mother would be disappointed. 

Now that the sun was fading away, the village lanterns were lit, giving the street a warm orange glow. People were out, chatting with each other, smiling brightly. In the few hours he’d been gone, streamers and confetti had been scattered from the roofs and across the stone walkways. 

“Hey kid, about time you show up!” His father’s voice boomed across the street. 

Byleth looked over to see his dad holding a tankard full of ale, a joyful grin on his face. His mother sat beside him at the small table, a small paper flower in her drink. No one had joined them at the table yet, thankfully.

He pulled a chair next to his father and sat down, the girl working bringing him a simple glass of water. She knew he didn’t much care for alcoholic beverages, much to his father’s dismay. He nodded his thanks to her and she carried on. 

“Where’d you disappear to, kid? I looked damn near everywhere for you.” Jeralt asked.

“The forest.” 

His dad just nodded. “Well, did you have a good time, then?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Good.” 

The two men fell silent, watching the people walk past their table. Sitri began humming quietly to herself. She never liked the silence for too long. 

Neither of his parents really ever talked about their lives before they came together. Jeralt mentioned a few memories from his time in the army, a few names of fellow soldiers, but that was it. His mother never mentioned anything. 

Sometimes he wondered if he had grandparents somewhere out there, like everyone in the village did, but in the end, that would just be more people he’d have to try and make happy when he really didn’t understand them.

Sure, he loved his parents, whatever that meant. He’d be upset if anything happened to them. But he really didn’t understand anything about them. He didn’t know why his dad liked to hang out at the tavern in town, and he didn’t understand why his mother liked growing flowers so much. But they let him do what he wanted usually, so he really didn’t ask too many questions. 

The festival band started up, playing a bouncy song that had many of the wives in the village dragging their reluctant husbands out to the plaza. Sitri tugged on Jeralt’s arm, pointing to the plaza as well. 

Of course, his dad couldn’t resist her asking him to dance. They quickly left the table, Byleth left alone to watch them. 

He noticed a few other people his age left alone to watch their parents as well. That was typical. They were right at the age where most parents would force them to start looking for a spouse. Thankfully, his parents didn’t push him.

He didn’t really care much for people, let alone the idea of spending the rest of his life with someone. 

“Hey, Byleth, do you want to dance?” A female voice came from the table next to his. 

It was the village leader’s daughter. 

“I don’t like dancing.” 

Her face fell. “Oh. Then, would you mind if I sat with you?”

He shrugged. She took that as a yes and moved over. 

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you around much lately.”

“I’ve been working.” 

“You work with your father, right? As a mercenary?”

“We hunt beasts.” 

“Right….” The girl fiddled with her hands. “Do you have any hobbies?” 

“I like watching fish.” 

“Watching fish… that seems… interesting…?”

He just nodded.

“I like to write poetry myself. Would you like to hear one?” 

He blinked slowly at her. She coughed into her hand awkwardly. 

“I’ll take that as a no.” She muttered to herself. “Say, Byleth, you never seem interested in any of us here in the village…. Have you met a woman from one of the places you visit?”

He shook his head. “I don’t like women.” 

Her eyes widened. “Oh. I apologize. I didn’t mean to assume….” She laughed. “I guess that explains the cold shoulder to us all.” 

He didn’t respond to her. 

“Anyway. I guess I’ll leave you alone then. Maybe I’ll send one of the fellas over here.”

“Please don’t.” 

She just laughed and wandered off, leaving him alone again. 

He sighed. She had always been too interested in his life. 

Thankfully the night passed without her sending one of the village men over to him. She would wink at him across the plaza, but quickly disappear in the crowd. He could see the intrigued look on his parents faces but just ignored them. 

He stood from the table a few hours into the celebration, deciding he’d had enough loud music and people yelling over it for the year. Without interrupting his parents enjoyment, he headed towards the path back to his house. 

Something hit his nose in a way that made him pause just outside the plaza. Smoke?

He turned around, eyes scanning the people around him. No one seemed to be panicking. He looked over the lanterns. They were all fine.

What was burning then?

He looked out toward the forest.

A huge black cloud of smoke rose up against the night sky, obscuring what was left of the moon. What could have possibly started a fire tonight? There wasn’t any chance of storms as far as he knew.

“Hey kid, what are you looking at?” Jeralt appeared next to him.

Byleth just pointed. His dad narrowed his eyes, thinking.

“I’m guessing it’s a ways off. Looks to be almost near the border, several days away from us.” Jeralt muttered, mostly to himself. “Still, I didn’t see any lightning out that way. I wonder what could have….” He stopped himself. 

“Perhaps it was someone being careless.” Byleth suggested, still watching the smoke. It wouldn’t be the first time. But if his dad said it was near the border, the village wasn’t in any immediate danger. That was the only thing he’d worry about. 

His dad nodded to his logic. It was probably just some campfire gone awry. It would fizzle out in a few days. There’d be no real issue from it.

Still, he couldn’t help the bad feeling rising in the back of his mind. 

He excused himself from the plaza, leaving his dad to go back to celebrating with his mother, and headed back to their house. Laying in his bed, he kept the curtains open, watching the smoke billowing against the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll new fic! 
> 
> This one will update on Wednesdays and Parsnips will update on Saturday/Sundays. I've been super excited about this fic for a few weeks now and im very excited to share it! Hope you guys enjoy
> 
> feel free to follow me on the tweet machine @snick_snack_


	2. Throw Me Into the Fire

The first thing he did when he woke up in the morning was look out his window.

The smoke was gone. 

He squinted against the bright morning light, blinking a few times to make sure he was seeing it correctly. No smoke. Forest fires didn’t burn out that quickly. Even if it were contained, it would still be smoking in the morning. 

He couldn’t even smell it anymore.

A knock sounded toward the front of the house. Someone was here.

It was early, before most of his mother’s friends would leave their houses. He couldn’t see the front door from his window, but he knew it would probably be a new job for his father and him. He quickly tossed on his clothes and headed out to the front room.

His mother and father stood in front of the door. Hearing his door open, his father turned to him.

“Kid, looks like we have a guest.” 

Byleth nodded, and watched as his mother invited the man in.

He was a tall, thin man, thick dark hair over one side of his face. He wore a suit, something expensive, something you’d never see in a place like this. The man held himself tall and proud, a quiet smirk on his face.

The man’s dark eyes landed on Byleth. He blinked back at him.

“Ah, pardon my intrusion. I apologize for the early hour, but I have a message.” His voice was deep and confident. Something rang in the back of Byleth’s head, causing him to tense slightly. “You must be the one they call the Ashen Demon.” 

Byleth nodded. 

“I must say, I was not expecting someone with such a striking name to look as you do.” 

“Can we help you?” Jeralt cut in. 

“Yes, of course. Forgive me. I forgot myself for a moment. My name is Hubert von Vestra. I am a servant of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Edelgard von Hresvelg.” 

“The empress?” His mother looked to his dad, worried. “What could she possibly want from us?” 

“Not you.” Hubert pointed to Byleth. “Him.”

“Me.” 

“Yes. She has sent me here to ask… a favor of you.”

“I don’t do favors. Even for the Empress.” Byleth evened his stare at the man. Neither of them blinked. 

“I can see why the rumors paint you as an emotionless killer. Not a spark of anger behind your eyes. Interesting.” He cocked his head. “Her Imperial Majesty believes you, and only you, to be the perfect fit for this job.” 

Byleth waited for him to elaborate. Hubert took it upon himself to move toward their fireplace, taking a framed painting of their family in his long, skinny fingers. 

“What a wonderful family portrait.” 

“If you want me to take this job, you have to tell me what it is.” This was foolish. What was this man doing? 

“Of course. I’m not sure you managed to see last night, with all the festivities, but we received reports of the forest along the border had caught fire.” Byleth nodded along. “Upon a brief investigation, we determined it is likely the work of a beast.” 

“A beast started that fire?” Byleth said, a hint of disbelief in his voice. “I’m not sure if you know this, Hubert,” He drew out the name, “But beasts are often mindless. Reckless. How would they start a fire?”

“That is what we would like you to discover.” Hubert swept an arm towards the door. “I have a carriage waiting for us. Her Imperial Majesty would like to speak with you personally before investigating.” 

His mother gasped. “A personal invitation from the Empress….” 

“She has been following your exploits for some time now.” Hubert added. “She would like to personally thank you for helping the lesser lords of our great empire.” 

Byleth didn’t react to the praise, making Hubert chuckle darkly to himself. This man was trying very hard to get a rise out of him. 

“Should you refuse, well, I fear this may never be resolved. It may become a threat to this very village. Many lives would be lost.” 

“And what would I gain from this?” 

“I’m sure Her Imperial Majesty would love to explain this further to you. It is but half a day’s ride to the capital. We could meet with her before sundown.” 

“Okay.” Byleth nodded. “Allow me half an hour to prepare my things.” 

Hubert let a thin grin spread across his lips. “Excellent. I will be awaiting you at the village gates.” And with that, the man left without another word. 

“Byleth, dear, are you sure?” His mother came over, fussing over him. “The capital….”

He shrugged. “I have to get ready, mom.” 

As soon as he was in his room, he quickly gathered his armor and slid it on. As he was tucking some spare clothes into the small bag he carried for long trips, he heard his mother whispering worried to his father.

“But Jeralt. You saw where that smoke was! It’s too close…. What if he….”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Sitri.” His father’s low voice soothed her. “There’s no way it’s what we think it is.” 

“There is a way! Jeralt, please go with him!” 

“He’s been on solo missions near the border before. It’ll be fine.” 

He heard his mother begin rustling around in the kitchen, a few pans clanking together. Usually she was so careful with those. “I still think he shouldn’t be alone. If it’s a beast that can start fires, he shouldn’t be alone, Jeralt!”

His father sighed. “Sitri, please.”

Byleth took that moment to emerge, bag slung over his shoulder. His mother and father stood frozen in front of the cabinets. He rose an eyebrow at them, not indicated he’d heard any of their conversation. 

Sitri looked at him, a deep sadness behind her smile. “Please be safe out there.” She came over and put her hands on his face, standing on her toes to kiss his forehead. “Remember you can always come home if it gets to be too much. Or send for your father.” 

He nodded. She always worried about them leaving on missions. This one seemed to be really upsetting her, though. He wondered why but wouldn’t ask. 

Jeralt came up to him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Listen to your mother, kid. We’ll see you.” 

With that, Byleth ducked out the front door. The sun was still rising in the distance, still a bit of a morning chill in the air. A typical day for a grave mission. He walked down the path toward the village, a few of the villagers looking at him oddly. It wasn’t typical he was out this early. Mornings were for drills. 

He reached the gate, nodding to the guardsman.

“Byleth! Good morning!” He greeted cheerily. This guy was always way too happy. “I have a report today! A strange man entered earlier. He had the seal of the Empress! Can you believe that? An Imperial aid, in our little village?”

“He came to talk to me.” 

“Oh wow! I didn’t know that much! Does that mean the Empress has a job for you?” 

Byleth nodded. 

“Wow! You’re really moving up in the world, pal, if the Empress has taken notice!” He laughed. “Well, he’s waiting just down the main road. Don’t worry about the village! I’ll keep it safe!” 

Byleth nodded to the man. He knew he’d do his best, but the guy was kind of scrawny and not very good at fighting when it came down to it. He just had an ear and an eye for trouble. 

He continued down the road, catching the carriage Hubert had brought. Hubert stood outside, talking to the driver in hushed tones. 

“Ah, there he is.” Hubert finally noticed him. “Are you packed and ready to go?” He asked, a hint of sarcasm dripping from his voice. This guy was something else.

Byleth simple nodded and climbed into the carriage without an invitation. If Hubert wanted to play this game, he would play his own. He sat on one of the benches, taking up much more room than he typically would. He slung his bag onto the floorboards, staring at Hubert as his thin eyebrows furrowed slightly. 

He spoke to the driver again and climbed in himself, sitting across from Byleth. Byleth made a point to sit as still as possible, in a deadlock stare with him. The carriage startled rattling down the old forest road. 

Hubert broke the eye contact first, pulling out a set of papers from his bag. “You’ll have to pardon me. I must get these reports finished before I present you to Her Imperial Majesty.” Byleth just shrugged and turned to face the window. 

He was very familiar with this road. It was the only path to and from his small village. He and his father had been traveling it together, on foot, since he was around the age of thirteen. 

The capital was a place they tended to avoid, however. It was fine to stock up on supplies for a long journey, but it was out of the way for most of their requests. The beasts that targeted humans tended to stay in the sprawling forest. 

He let his mind wander to the beast that he was expected to hunt. One that could start fires. He had heard of many who flattened small hills in the countryside or cleared out certain sections of the forest, but never one to actually start a fire. As of late, these beasts he and his father had been contracted to kill had been more and more aggressive. 

His father never wanted to discuss why but Byleth was curious. These things were already much bigger than their docile cousins. There was something weird about them. He’d kill them all the same, but part of him was still interested to know. 

The ride passed quickly, the sun quickly heating up the carriage. Hubert poked his head out the window to speak with someone at the city gates, the carriage quickly pulling through. 

He knew this part of town. This was were all the merchants and the cheap inn were. He watched all of them pass quickly by and they entered a residential area. The houses lining the brick street were big, bigger than any house back in his village, or any of the ones he’d seen in the other villages he’d visited. 

“We will reach the palace shortly. I expect you will conduct yourself with dignity despite your… upbringing.” Hubert spoke up, stiffly filing his papers away. 

Byleth didn’t respond to his request. He’d act how he wanted to act around this woman. 

No one really talked about the Empress in his little village. She had no real reach with them. They didn’t produce enough product to trade and they never had any issues. They weren’t a rich village, and they weren’t poor. 

He had heard rumors about her, of course. People outside the village talked about her in hushed whispered. She had eyes everywhere, they’d say. Her right had was creepy. She had killed or imprisoned her own father to take the throne. Some even said she had connections to those who were proficient in dark magic. Never mind that dark magic wasn’t real.

The carriage came to a stop and Hubert ducked outside the door. Byleth took it upon himself to follow. 

The palace rose high above them. Ornate pillars surrounded the building, serving no real purpose. He looked over the vast gardens sprawling out from the pathway. Those were the only decent things he’d seen so far. His mother would love them. Maybe he could take a few home for her.

He followed Hubert into the building, staring at some of the guards that watched him with a careful eye. He saw one guard stiffen up and glance at the guard next to him. 

They climbed a flight of stairs and stopped in front of a set of large, tall doors. Two guards stood at attention besides them, lances in hand. They weren’t as easily intimidated by his cold stare. 

Hubert waved them off and pushed the doors open.

“Your Imperial Majesty, I have brought the one you seek.” He dipped into a sweeping bow, head facing the floor beneath him. 

Byleth stood behind him, staring at the woman sitting atop the throne in the back of the, quite frankly, enormous room. 

“This must be the one they call the Ashen Demon, then?” The woman stood up, descending the stairs from her chair. She was shorter than he’d imagined. “I am the Empress of our great empire, as you may have been told. May I ask what your given name is?”

“Bylelth.”

“Byleth.” She turned to Hubert. “Come, Hubert, let us join in the other room to chat about this issue.” She motioned for her guards to stay where they were and walked to an average sized door off to the side. 

Inside was a simple, long table, a few chairs lined up by it. This was the simplest room he’d seen in the palace so far. No decorations, no gold and red banners, no emblems. Just a few brick walls. 

“Please, have a seat. Hubert, if you would stay close to the door?” 

“Of course, my lady.” He bowed deep again and took a position by the door. 

“Come, Byleth, sit.” She pulled a chair for him next to hers. “Now, what has Hubert informed you of so far?” 

“You requested me to investigate the fire that was started last night.” 

“Nothing else?” 

Byleth shook his head. “Only that it might be a beast.” 

“Right. That is our belief. It was a far distance away from the nearest border post, by a patrol reported seeing a large creature nearby before it caught flame.” Edelgard reached for a small stack of papers sitting on the table. She shuffled a few of them before sliding one in front of Byleth. 

The paper had a charcoal drawing etched onto it. The creature that it portrayed looked to be almost as tall as the young trees around it. He let his finger trace the air over the long reaching neck that had been drawn. He’d never seen one like that before. 

“What kind of beast is this meant to be?”

“Officially, we don’t know. We have no records of anything like it.”

“And unofficially?” Byleth sat back, staring at her.

“Unofficially, I have a few theories.” Edelgard matched his stare. So, she wasn’t faint of heart. That was certainly something. 

“Please share, then.” 

“Have you heard the stories about this land’s creation, Byleth?”

“A few. Many of them ring false.” 

“Yes, there are quite a few fairy tales we tell our children. But, the truth of it is, this land was risen from the ocean by a race of dragons.”

“Dragons.”

“Yes. It has been passed down my family line for generations. The truth of our history.”

“And where might these… dragons be now?”

“Over two thousand years ago, there was a great war that broke out between the humans who came to this land, and the dragons who inhabited and raised it. It’s said the earth was scorched and beaten, yet somehow the humans came out victorious, leading us down to our current situation.”

“You think this long-necked beast in the trees is a dragon?” 

“I do.”

“And, by that logic, you’d like me to slay this dragon.” 

“If it comes to that, yes.” She looked over to Hubert. 

“If it comes to that.”

“Alternatively, I would love if there was a way to calm the beast and bring it back for our scholars to study.” 

“I don’t calm beasts. I kill them.” 

Edelgard nodded. “Yes, your track record speaks to your great capabilities in that area. It’s unlikely, if this is a dragon, that you will be able to quell what has enraged it. Likely, the only option is a swift death. But, should the opportunity arise….”

“I get it.” 

“Very good. Now, what say you? Will you accept this task?” 

Byleth glanced between the two of them. She was an Empress, and she had told him an outlandish theory about this creature. It wasn’t likely she’d take it well if he refused.

His interest was piqued. 

“Yes.” 

“Excellent.” She nodded to Hubert. “We will set you up in our finest inn for the night and prepare you some things to take with you on your journey. The fastest path will also take you close to your home village, I’ve been told, so you may visit your family as you pass by, if you’d like. I would advise you to keep my theories to yourself, however.” 

He just nodded, standing up. “I do have one more question.” He stopped her as she was about to walk through the door frame. “Why only me? Typically, my father and I work together.”

“Ah yes, the Blade Breaker. He is quite the skilled warrior as well. We believe this will need someone with your… unique touch.” 

“Unique touch.”

“I’m sure you are aware of what people say about you? How you got your nickname? Slicing through bandits’ throats without so much as twitching an eyebrow in anger. They say you have no soul.” Edelgard laughed stiffly at the idea. “I believe that kind of demeanor is needed for this situation.” 

He nodded. “I’ll get it done.” 

“I trust you will. Hubert, if you would escort him?”

“Of course, my lady.”


	3. If You Don't Wear It Out

The inn room was fancier than any house he’d ever been in. The bed was large and covered in thick, embroidered blankets. He scowled at the extravagant desk and countertop lining the walls of the room. Who could possibly sleep in a place like this? 

He set his bag on the bed, almost scared to mess up the sheets. Hubert had told him one of the inn workers would be up in an hour with dinner for him. Only the finest the empress had ordered for him, apparently. 

He laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

Dragons. If they were real, and just running around the forest, wouldn’t someone have come across them by now? The empire was on decent terms with the surrounding nations. They would have mentioned it if they were roaming their territories too. 

There was always rumors about that section of the forest. It was often said it was haunted. Any traveler that felt brave enough to go out there came back crying of spooky noises and things disappearing from their campsites. If they came back at all. 

It was about a three days carriage ride from the capital, but he was going to walk. He hated riding in those things. They were bumpy and rattled too much for him to think. He had already told Hubert to cancel his ride out there. He’d take the one to his village, but from there, he’d be on his own. 

He was almost tempted to leave right now, but the sun was already beginning to dip down in the sky. He wouldn’t make it out of the city before it was dark. And the forest was never a great place to travel at night. 

There was a knock at his door, pulling him from his thoughts. He opened it to be handed a tray by a small maid who avoided eye contact with him. The man working the front desk when Hubert brought him here did too. 

Byleth said a quick thank you and let the girl leave, watching as she practically sprinted away from the door. He shrugged and shut the door. 

The meal actually didn’t look that bad. The meat was a good cut and the vegetables had been roasted just the way he liked them. It wasn’t his mother’s cooking, but it would do for now. 

Sitting down at the desk to eat, he ran over what he was going to tell his parents. No doubt his father would ask what kind of beast it was. He wouldn’t believe a dragon any more than any other person would. He would have to come up with another type of beast who could potentially start a fire.

Apes had thumbs, maybe he could come up with some way for one of them to do it. Or say a human was in the area with a campfire and the ape beast let the fire spread. They were known for being fairly smart. But any animal that was that far gone as to be classified as a beast wouldn’t have full function of what was left of their brain. 

Maybe he would just say the Empress had forbade him from speaking about it. His mother would at least respect that. 

Byleth moved to his bed, pulling his sword out its sheath. He pulled a rag from his bag and began polishing the metal. It didn’t need it, but it was a habit that helped him relax and think sometimes. 

If this thing was a dragon, what his strategy for taking it down? If it could breathe far like the stories always said, how could he counter that? A beast as big as what was sketched out couldn’t be very agile, especially in the trees. He would have to outmaneuver it. His sword was thin enough it could probably penetrate under its scales, if it had them. 

He’d pick up a spare at the blacksmith back home just in case. 

He put his sword away and stretched out on the bed. His carriage left at dawn. 

\---

Hubert was there to see him off and hand him a few papers to keep with him. Apparently, they were for if he needed shelter at the fort closest to the area he was headed to. Byleth shrugged it off but Hubert insisted. If he needed a place to stay, he could find it on his own. 

The carriage ride out was just as boring as the first one, except he couldn’t watch Hubert’s eyebrows furrow at his actions. So it was more boring. 

He was glad to be out of the capital, though. That place was way too crowded. Even in the dead of night, people were outside talking. He’d barely slept. And now he couldn’t even sleep in this bumpy thing either. 

Thankfully the driver was quick and dropped him outside the gate just as the sun was reaching its peak. He climbed out, pulling his bag with him. The driver nodded to him and carried off back the way he came. 

“Byleth!” The guardsmen cheerily greeted. “You’re back! That was quick?”

“I won’t be back long.” 

“Really? That’s a shame. I’d like to hear about the capital!” 

“It’s loud.” 

“I’ve heard there’s so many people there! I wonder if I could ever go….” 

Byleth just shrugged. “If you want to, go.” 

The man just laughed and waved him through. “Tell your mom I said hi!” 

He entered the village, ignoring the few people who called out to him. He didn’t have time to speak to any of them. 

He opened the door to his house to see his father poking at the fire and his mother sitting in her chair watching. They both looked up to see him in the entryway.

“Byleth!” His mother rushed over to him. “How was the capital? That wasn’t a long trip?”

“The Empress cuts to the point.” 

“What is it she wants you do, kid?” Jeralt spoke without turning from the fire. “Something with that supposed beast?” 

Byleth nodded. “I’m not supposed to speak more on it.” 

His dad huffed, standing up. “Figures. Those Imperial types are always so secretive.” 

“I can’t stay long. But the village is on the way, so they said I could drop by to tell you I was heading out.” 

Sitri rushed over to the kitchen, quickly pulling a pan out and lighting the stove. “Let me make you something before you leave. I just got this pork from the butcher today.” 

Byleth just let her. She always got like this before he and his dad headed out to kill something. He looked to his dad who was looking at him with a stern expression. 

“Kid, listen,” Jeralt pulled his chair from the dining table and sat heavily in it. “The empire… they’re not exactly the best people out there.”

“And?” He stayed standing. 

“I’m just saying… if they’re telling you something, take it with a grain of salt. They might not be telling the whole truth.” 

Byleth thought about that ridiculous dragon theory. Seemed pretty accurate. “Yeah. I know.” 

“Good. Now, let me run to the general store and see if they got some jerky you can take with you. I’ll be back.” Of course his dad would go get him food. He always overpacked food for their trips together, just in case he got hungry on the way. But Jeralt was a big guy. 

Byleth set his bag down and moved into the kitchen, watching his mother toss a few chunks of meat into the pan. 

“Mom.” 

“Yes, sweetie?” 

“Why are you so worried about this?” 

She turned away from the sizzling meat to look at him sadly. “That part of the forest…. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors.” She faked a smile. “I’m just as worried as any mother would be for her child.” 

He stared at her for a long moment, her smile faltering a bit. “Of course.” He finally said, letting her turn back to the food. He left her to go into his room. 

She and his dad were hiding something from him. They never acted this shady. The last time he’d felt like he was being lied to, he had been a child and asked his mom why he didn’t have any grandparents like the other kids. His dad had just said he’d been orphaned, but his mom stumbled over her excuse. She’d finally settled on her mother died before he was born. Even as a child, he knew she took too long to say that. 

Which could have meant he had some other family out there. 

He didn’t care about that. He just didn’t like being lied to. 

He let his eyes close on his bed. Who knew when the next time he’d get to sleep in a bed was. 

\---

With his bag heavy on his back, and his stomach full of his mother’s cooking, Byleth left the village as quick as he’d come. He was almost tempted to leave in the morning, but his parents tiptoeing around him was getting annoying. He’d rather be out in the woods. 

Out in the fresh air of the woods, he could breathe again. This whole situation was starting to get be weird. It was one thing for the empress to ask him to do things, but for his mother to act so strange about it put him over the edge. He had to get this over with fast. 

He pulled out the map he’d been given with the area he was headed to highlighted in red. Forest maps were almost useless, given that the only land marks in them were trees, but the path he was meant to take had a few springs on the way. He decided to follow the river for as long as he could. 

The sun quickly sank, leaving him to travel by moonlight through the tall trees. He had always liked traveling under the night sky. The stars were easy to navigate by, and the day’s creatures were all asleep. The bugs and nocturnal animals were always awake, but they tended not to make as much noise. 

The river bubbled peacefully next to him. Come early light he would find a place to sleep for a few hours before continuing on. As much as he enjoyed being in the forest at night, it wasn’t the safest. Who knew what was lurking just beyond his vision? At least he had the reflexes to pull his sword out if he was awake. 

His days out in the woods turned monotonous. There was really nothing to do now but walk. He’d catch a few fish or small rodents in the evening for a quick meal before walking some more through the dark trees. 

The closer he got, the more the air smelled of burned wood. There was no way it was still going, right? The smoke hadn’t even lasted a night before. His dad had always said his sense of smell was too strong, though. Maybe it was just what was left that hadn’t been aired out yet. 

The morning before he was set to arrive, he was setting up camp in the low light hours of the morning, the sun slowly creeping up behind the trees. He sat up against a tree as the rabbit he’d caught cooked over the small fire. He pulled a package of dried fruit from his bag, chewing on them as he watched the fire crackle. 

He had just bitten into one when a chill went down his spine. 

He slowly set the package to the side and grabbed his sword next to him. He slid the blade out silently, letting the sheath fall back into the dirt. 

Something was here. He got to his feet, scanning the area. 

The smell of steel floated toward him, but he couldn’t see anyone beyond the trees. A quick glance up showed no one above him either. 

“Let’s not play this game.” Byleth spoke normally, as if this person was right in front of him. No need to shout. 

Someone wearing a heavy helmet and soldier’s armor stepped out into the small clearing. The person was short, carrying a long lance, pointed right at Byleth. He kept his sword up at the ready. 

“What are you doing here?” A woman’s voice came from the soldier’s helmet. “This is a restricted area.” She stepped closer to him, shoulders tensed. “By order of the Imperial crown, you need to leave.”

“Funny. The empress herself sent me.” 

“Lies. She ordered no one come out here.” The guard snarled, thrusting the lance toward him. He stepped forward and away from the thrust, the blade nicking his arm guard slightly. 

“If you’d let me show the papers, we could avoid humiliating you.” Byleth brushed her lance away with the flick of his wrist. The guard stepped back, watching him careful as he pulled the crumpled papers from his bag.

The guard snatched them away from him, lowering her lance finally to read. It took her a few second to scan the page. She snarled and handed them back. “Fine. You can stay.” She growled through her helmet. “But you better watch yourself. These woods ain’t kind to folks like you.” 

Byleth shrugged. “Can I get back to my meal?” 

She scoffed and turned to walk away. Byleth took the liberty of sitting back down and relighting his small fire. She turned to look at him from between the trees before angrily stomping back into the forest. 

Well, that was unnecessary. 

Edelgard had mentioned she was putting more patrols in the forest, but actively avoiding the area he was going into. He should have expected that. 

He wasn’t worried about the forest being haunted. A couple ghosts, assuming they were real, didn’t scare him. If they were ghosts, what could they really do? He was more worried about this rampaging beast.

Of course, he hadn’t smelled smoke since the day at the festival. Perhaps it had settled down for now, but where there was an angry beast, there was bound to be more destruction. If it had lit the place up once, it would again. 

Byleth quickly ate his dinner then slumped against the tree again to try and sleep a little before the sun got too bright. 

\---  
Byleth bent down and picked up what was left of a burned branch. He turned it over, brush the ash off it. He was getting close to the area.

He dropped the branch and kept walking, stepping over the fallen trees and piles of half burned leaves. A few of the trees were still standing, but a glance up revealed burn marks stretching up the trunks and many of the leaves had been burned off. 

The further he walked, the more ash and the thicker the air got. The sun blazed overhead, the lack of leaves letting it bake the earth. 

There was a hole in the forest floor. It wasn’t very deep. If he stepped in it, it would maybe go to his calves. He stood over it, examining the way fresh leaves and sticks had fallen in. Some of them had burns on them, but most of them seemed to be new fall from the trees. So, this hadn’t been open at the time of the fire. 

He looked around the rest of the area, taking in the black forest floor and ash piles that were once trees. It wasn’t as big an area as he thought it would be. It was relatively small for a forest fire scar. 

The evidence was piling up that this was an intentional fire. 

Byleth walked towards the edge of the area, knelling down to touch the leaves laying on the floor. They were slightly damp. It wasn’t like someone had just dumped a bucket of water on them, but like it had rained several days ago and they hadn’t dried out yet.

It hadn’t rained in the forest for several days now. The skies had been clear since he left his village. And that imprint hadn’t had any water or moisture in it.

Something else caught his eye, glinting in the sunlight. He glanced around, making sure he was really alone as he bent down to pick it up. 

A locket. He turned it over in his hands, the etched writing in the back unreadable. Byleth tried to make it out, but it almost looked to be a different language. He tried to pinch the locket open, but the hinge seemed to be stuck. He’d have to find something to break it open later.

He tucked it into his pocket. If there was a locket, there had been a person. This couldn’t be a beast he was dealing with.

Byleth stood in the center of the burned patch, thinking. This was all so intentional. Beasts were irrational and reckless. This had been covered up. It wasn’t even a bad job at covering up. That guard woman he met early probably wouldn’t have caught onto it. 

Something tickled at his nose. Byleth took a step back, taking a shallow breath. What was that? 

He whipped his head around, seeing a small ball on the ground a few feet away from him. It looked to be handmade, a small stream of smoke trailing out of it. Great. 

Byleth tried to keep himself from breathing deeply as he headed back into the tree cover. He pulled his glove off and put it over his nose and mouth, breathing through it, but it didn’t seem to help. 

He tripped over a fallen branch, barely catching himself on the trunk of a tree. He stumbled away from the area, trying to clear his lungs of whatever that was. 

It didn’t seem to help. His vision blurred and his head throbbed. 

How could he let himself get caught off guard like that? How had he not heard whoever it was that tossed that? He should be ashamed. 

He fell to his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath and see enough to run. His hand fumbled for his sword. His vision was rapidly narrowing, and his stomach rolled. 

A pair of legs appeared before him, and he tried to look up at a face or clothes or anything, but before he could register any of that, he hit the forest floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is doing well out there! I am blocking everything out by writing haha 
> 
> Please enjoy~


	4. How Did We Get Here

The first thing he heard was humming. 

It was a song he felt like he had heard before. He saw his mother behind his eyelids, humming a tune while trimming her hedges and tending to her flowers. His dad was standing in the doorway watching her, a soft smile on his face.

And then he opened his eyes.

A concrete ceiling greeted him. A twist to the left revealed a brick wall. He took a deep breath, trying to remember how he got here. 

He remembered some weird gas. A pair of legs in front of him. And then nothing. Fantastic. 

The air in here was chilly. Whoever had brought him here had left his cloak and armor on, thankfully. His sword was gone, of course, but quick check told him they didn’t find the knife he hid under one of the plates. He quietly moved it to the pouch hidden under his cloak for easier access should he need it. 

He sat up, taking better stock of the area. 

One of the walls was lined with bars. So, he was in a prison of some kind. The room wasn’t much to look out outside of that. And the hallway on the other side of them had a small torch on the wall and that was it. Not even a window.

He got up, walking over to the bars, grasping one in his hand. He shook it. It held firm. But that padlock on the other side of the door, maybe he could work with that. Given that the people who put him down here clearly hadn’t searched him very well.

The humming stopped and Byleth froze. He’d almost forgotten about whoever that was. 

He looked through the bars down the direction it had been coming from. Whoever was coming was short.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Her voice was way too sweet to be any sort of prison guard. 

Byleth set his shoulders and prepared himself. 

She came into view and she was nothing like he was expecting. Her face was open and smiling, bright green eyes shining even in the dim light of the hallway. Her hair was almost the same color as his mother’s. His hand tensed around the one bar he was holding.

“Are you hungry?” She asked, her voice sweet and syrupy. He didn’t trust it. 

She looked young, maybe seventeen? He had never been the best at telling someone’s age, but she had to be younger than him. 

His eyes were drawn to a small emblem on the shoulder of her dress. He didn’t recognize it. It almost looked like the writing on that locket he’d found.

“Can you speak?” The girl asked him, tilting her head to the side. “I haven’t spoken to one of you in so long.”

One of you? What could that possibly mean? 

“I don’t like to.” Byleth answered. Maybe he could pry some information out of her.

She perked up. “Oh, you can! Lovely! I’ll tell my father!” She left before he could ask anything else. 

Oh well. Now he had more time to figure out how to get out of here. 

He moved toward the lock on the other side, squeezing his arm through the bars to feel the weight of it. It didn’t seem to be made by any kind of special smithy. It was heavy, but it was well within standards people used for their stables or sheds. If he had a few good minutes alone and could get a strip of thin metal, he could pick it no problem. 

He turned back to the bed. It had metal pegs holding it off the floor. Maybe he could work something with that. Of course, when he did get out, he’d need something to protect himself from these people with. He doubted his small knife would do very well.

There was also the issue of knowing how many people were in this fortress. Was it even a fortress? Judging by the quality of the lock, it might just be some noble’s basement. 

Wouldn’t be the first time one of them got upset with him and tossed him in the basement. That guy had been so mad he rejected his daughter and instead “corrupted” his son. 

Now was not the time to think about that. 

While he was formulating a plan, the footsteps returned, echoing off the walls. He’d also have to be careful of that. Of course, they wouldn’t have anything to worry about if they were in charge. 

Byleth sat on the bed, waiting for this guy and the girl to show back up. 

The girl didn’t follow him to the bars of his cell. Byleth stared blankly at the man before him.

That same green hair. That emblem he hadn’t recognized. 

“You.” The man spoke, a deep frown on his face. “What were you doing out in that part of the forest?” 

Byleth didn’t answer. He wondered just how short this guy’s fuse was. Maybe he would get lucky and this guy would get so mad, he’d open the door to give him a beating. Of course, Byleth was more than confident in his ability to quickly escape should that happen.

“You told my daughter you spoke. Answer me.” He got a flash of teeth. They were sharp. He had seen some like them before but couldn’t quite place it. 

Byleth just pulled one knee onto the bed to lean on. The guy reached to grip one of the bars. His fingers had cracks in the skin, like they were overworked and dry. Byleth followed his wrist into the weird coat he wore. The rest of his skin looked that way too. Perhaps he spent too much time in the sun without proper protection? 

The man kept prompting him, but Byleth tuned him out. He let his eyes take in the man, starting at the boots he wore. Thick and heavy, like something you would wear in the winter. Unnecessary for this time of year, unless you lived in the high mountains. He doubted they had been able to transport him all the way across the country. Judging by his own stubble, he hadn’t been out for more than a day.

It suddenly clicked. Those were the boots of the person who attacked him in the woods. The person who had, instead of a fair fight, decided to throw some strange gas at him. 

Byleth narrowed his eyes.

“So, you can understand me.” The man folded his arms. “Perhaps I should just take you to see my sister. She’ll get you to talk.” 

Byleth smirked at that, standing off the bed. He came up the bars, looking up at the man. “Come on then.” 

He saw a flash of deep anger in the man’s eyes. 

Sadly, he controlled it just as fast. 

Byleth let the smirk grow, seeing the man’s frustration grow. It wasn’t the explosive anger he was looking for, but he could work with this. 

“Flayn! Bring the chains.” The man commanded down the hall. 

The girl’s name was Flayn then. Certainly not a common name. But not as strange as he thought would be. 

He heard the rattling of said chains, and the girl appeared struggling under their weight. She handed them over and the man moved to unlock the door, keeping a close eye on Byleth. 

“Do not try anything.” He warned, fumbling with a key in the lock. 

Well, now he was curious. He’d behave, for now. 

He let the man wrap his wrists in the chains, locking them into place. They were loose on his wrists. If he hadn’t been wearing his forearm guards, he could slip right out of them. 

He was led down the hallway, taking in the loose stones in the wall and the cracks in the floor. This place wasn’t used very often at all. If it was, they weren’t great at keeping it. 

The girl was following them, pressing her hands together almost nervously. If she was as old as she looked, no doubt he was probably the only person she’d had to watch down here. Why would they put a child in charge of him anyway? He knew he didn’t look the most intimidating physically, but his sword was not one easily wielded by a novice. They had to have put the clues together. 

The stairs creaked as the three of them climbed up them. They were old and wooden, barely looking to hold one person’s weight. That would be a challenge when he left. Maybe that was how they kept people down here. 

They came up to a narrow hallway with a low ceiling. The man dragging him alone almost had to duck to walk through it. Like the cell downstairs there were no windows. He wondered how far underground they were. 

The hallway was short, leading to another set of stairs. These ones were stone and much sturdier. There was also a lot of them. 

He wondered what this sister was like. Was she the leader of whoever these people were? The local noble? If they would be considered nobles. He hadn’t heard of any nobles that had land out here, let alone any interest in that part of the forest. 

The stairs led to a heavy door, the man pulling it open slowly. Looking at the lock and handle on it, it would be hard to crack open, but not undoable. 

He was yanked through the door into another hallway. This one was wide and ornately decorated. A deep red rug lead to a door at the end of it, lined with marble sculptures of people he didn’t recognize. 

And he thought he’d left that Imperial palace. 

Clearly, whoever this was had too much time and money on their hands. 

The man nodded to the girl and she dragged open the heavy door for them. 

The floor was open, and the back wall was made entirely of glass, looking over a small hilly area filled with houses. A woman with a thick cape stood at the wall, looking out over the area. There wasn’t even a table or a chair to be seen. This wasn’t a noble’s hearing room. 

“Rhea.” The man called.

She turned around, revealing a soft, almost motherly face, framed by that same green hair again, giving him a warm smile. 

“Ah, our guest has finally woken up.” She walked to him, taking slow, deliberate steps. 

Byleth watched her carefully. Something about her was ringing a bell in the back of his head, despite her attempt to seem innocent. She walked around him, humming to herself. She stopped in front of him, leaning in.

“Now, I must ask. What were you doing out there, where my dear brother found you?” 

Byleth stared at her, barely blinking. 

“I see. You are one of the difficult humans.” She tapped her chin. 

“Flayn?” She turned to the girl standing by the door. “Did he tell you anything specific?” 

She shook her head. “He just said he didn’t like to talk.” 

The woman nodded, reaching up to run her hand along his face. 

Every nerve in his body screamed at him to jerk away. He managed to control himself, not even clenching his teeth against her. He just focused on steadying his stare, barely registering her face. 

“You don’t like to talk then? Would you honor us with your name, at least?” He could almost hear the sickly sweet venom dripping from her voice. 

He looked through her again, letting his eyes drift across the room. 

“I see.” The woman nodded to the man still holding the chains on his wrist. “Take him back down. We’ll see how he feels after a few days without food.” 

“But—” The girl in the back, Flayn, got one word out before he watched this woman shoot a glare at her. She quickly shut her mouth and pushed the door back open. 

Flayn walked slow behind them. Byleth watched her from the corner of his eye, watching her open and close her mouth to try and say something, but failing every time. 

The moment he was back in his cell, and they were out of sight, he heard her speak up.

“Father! We can’t just not give him food!” Her voice was small and sweet, like the young girls who asked his mom for flowers. “You remember what happened to the last human who we did that to!” 

“Flayn… I know.” The man sighed, sounding exhausted. “But you also know how Rhea can be, especially about them.” He heard the shuffle of boots, and a soft whisper he couldn’t make out. 

The girl came back to the bars, leaning in on them. “I must apologize for them.”

Byleth just shrugged. 

“I don’t know why my father thought it was a good idea to bring you here.” She muttered to herself. “I’ll be back after sundown.” 

He watched her go, hearing her muttering to herself as she went. She was a strange girl. Her accent was close to what you’d hear at the capital, but it wasn’t quite the same. And the man and woman’s were also very strange. He’d been around the three countries here quite a bit, but he’d never heard anything similar.

He laid out on the bed, going over everything he’d discovered on that little walk he’d taken.

He was in some kind of village, looking down a hill. He tried to remember the map layout he’d been given. There hadn’t been any hills around the burned area. Of course, a map could always be wrong, especially with the superstitions around.

When he got out, he’d have to maneuver around that village too. It shouldn’t be too hard. If it was like his home village, everyone was in their house a few hours after sundown. 

He wondered how safe it was to go back to that burned area. Would that man also be there again? Was he some sort of patrolman? He had called that lady his sister. 

And why had they referred to him as a human, as if they weren’t. 

There was also the issue of why they all had similar features to his own mother. 

Thinking of his mother, he knew if he ever told her or his dad about this, he’d get a ridiculous lecture. His dad told him to always be hyper aware of everything. 

Byleth closed his eyes for a moment. He’d been careless to get himself in this situation. 

But if that man had been in the area, perhaps he had a better idea as to what was going on. Maybe this was his best option to get this mission done. The girl also seemed to have some issues with what was happening. He wondered if he could get some information out of her.

He would chat with her when she came back down. It was a gamble whether or not she’d run to her father or that woman, but things couldn’t get much worse from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy~ 
> 
> Our stay home order got extended (as i think all of them are) and I am stuck at home forever it seems lol. Stay safe and healthy ya'll!


	5. Pull Me Out Again

When Flayn came back, her body language was stiff and anxious. She kept glancing over her shoulder. She held a finger to her lips, letting him know to stay quiet. 

She slid a small paper bag through the grates of his cell. He accepted it, quietly opening it to see some kind of sandwich and a fruit he had never seen before. He gave her a look of confusion.

“Hide it quickly.” She whispered, jumping at the sound of boots overhead. 

Byleth nodded and tucked it under the hard pillow he was given. 

The two of them stayed in silence for a long minute before the boots came overhead again, walking the opposite direction. Flayn sighed in relief and relaxed a bit.

“I must apologize for my aunt earlier. She can be a bit extreme.” Her eyebrows knit together, worried. “She is also out of touch.” 

Byleth rose an eyebrow at that. 

“She refuses to learn how humans work. I have tried to tell her many times, but she refuses to listen, and instead gets angry with me.” Flayn shook her head. “I do not understand how she plans to get us back into society if she won’t learn.” 

That was a strange idea. 

Flayn seemed to realize she’d said too much. She quickly shut her mouth and studied a stone on the floor. 

“I am not supposed speak of that.” 

“Does it have something to do with that fire?” Byleth spoke up again, watching as Flayn tried to steady her facial expression. She wasn’t very good at it.

“What fire?” She offered him a fake confused face. 

He just stared at her and she caved quickly.

“Fine! We don’t know what caused that. That’s why my father was out there. He was meant to investigate why it caught fire.” Flayn huffed.

“So why was I brought here?” 

“Father saw you as a threat, so he brought you to speak in front of Rhea.”

“Can’t imagine she’s too happy with me.” Byleth almost wanted to laugh. That woman gave him a bad feeling. 

“Oh no, she is very upset with you.” Flayn agreed. She didn’t seem to catch the joke in his voice. “But, do not worry. I will try my best to convince them to let you go.” 

“Why?” She knew nothing about him. He hadn’t even mentioned he was here to also investigate the fire and take care of the issue. But she was young and seemed to have a soft heart. Maybe it was just in her nature to be overly trusting and kind. 

“You are mysterious, but I can see you aren’t a bad person.” She gave him a sweet smile, and he almost felt bad for planning to break out. But it would get them the same result. “I also worry what your presence may do to my aunt. I have never seen her in such a state….” 

Byleth wondered how she normally was. If he had gotten such a visceral feeling from just her touching his face, it was a mystery as to how dangerous she could actually be. He just knew he wouldn’t trust that woman with a blade of grass. 

Flayn straightened up and looked down the hall again. “I must go for now. Please, be careful when you eat your meal. Do not make too much noise. The walls may be stone, but they can be thin.” She nodded to him and disappeared again. 

He listened for her footsteps to fade away up the stairs again. As soon as she did, he pulled the bag of food out again. He chewed through the sandwich, trying to place the meat Flayn had put in there. He didn’t hate it, but he also didn’t know what it was. The fruit he’d been given was quite delicious, and he wished he would have asked. 

Tucking the paper away under the mattress, he stood from the bed and listened carefully overhead. It seemed like everything was quiet. 

Byleth pulled a thin piece of metal he always kept in his boot for occasions like this. The padlock was old and far too easy to pick. Did they really think they could hold him with this? 

He quietly pulled it away, careful to not let it knock against the bars as he slowly pushed them away. Once he was out, he closed the door again and clicked the padlock back together. He glanced the way Flayn had come, seeing only the dim, dying light of a torch by the stairs. 

Reaching inside his cloak, he pulled out the knife they had failed to find on him early. He gripped in his hand, just in case he had to use it to get out. If everything went according to plan, no one would see him, but you had to force plans to work. 

The stairs creaked as he climbed them, but if he found the right part of them, they were much quieter. It took him longer than he would have liked to reach the top. He pressed his ear to the door. When he heard no sounds of breathing or walking, he carefully opened it and scanned the hallway he’d been walked through earlier. No one was around.

He headed down the path they hadn’t taken earlier. He hadn’t seen any kind of exit when they had taken him to see that woman. Perhaps he’d have a better chance this way. 

This way seemed to be as deserted as everything else he’d seen so far. It was suspicious that he hadn’t heard anyone since Flayn left. 

He came to a corner, hugging the wall and adjusting his grip on his knife as he peaked around. 

There was a short set of stairs leading up to a door overhead. The storm bunker the town had had a similar entrance to it. Was that why this place didn’t quite feel like a dungeon? It was just a repurposed storm cellar. 

It was an awfully big one if that was the case.

Byleth moved to step toward it when he heard them. A pair of footsteps, followed by quiet voices. The torch light lent many shadows to him, but he doubted he could just stand out in the open and not be spotted.

He scanned the narrow hallway, catching his eye on a few stacked crates a corner near him. They were just large enough he could duck behind them and be out of sight. 

Tucked behind them, he took a deep breath, ready to hold it when they came by him. The light they held grew brighter, and he could see their shadows playing on the wall.

“Yeah, I heard Lady Rhea’s brother brought him in.” He listened in the conversation. “I caught a glimpse. Didn’t look like much, if you ask me.” One of them said, laughing. 

“You know better than to underestimate those kinds of people. I doubt he’s as weak as he—” The guard cut themself off.

There was a thick moment of silence before the other guard said something. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you smell that?” 

“Smell what?” 

Byleth stopped breathing and willed them to go away. 

“It almost smells like a human, but it’s not right….” He watched the shadow tilt its head up.

“This corner always smells strange, especially when it gets warm, like tonight.” The other one brushed him off and kept walking. 

Byleth watched the shadow stretch as the guard with the torch got closer to his hiding spot and his friend stayed put. He heard a sigh from the worried guard before he picked his pace up to catch his friend. 

“I guess you’re right. It does smell like that half-rotted fruit they like to keep down here.” 

As they disappeared down the hall again, Byleth stayed in place. That had been too close. He had not been prepared for these people to be able to smell him. He had bathed before he’d been captured. The smell couldn’t be that strong.

He listened to the heavy door at the end of the hall open and shut, the guards disappearing up it. Carefully, he crawled out of the hole he’d put himself in, stepping over the crates back into the hall. 

When he heard nothing else, he hugged the wall over to the door. He stepped on the stairs, testing the integrity. They were sturdy and didn’t make a sound. Stepping up to the second one, he pushed on the door. It moved, but a bar across the top quickly stopped his progress. 

Wonderful. Just what he needed. 

It wasn’t impossible to get through, but it was more hassle than he was hoping for. 

He noticed the bolts keeping the bar in the place, just there, waiting for him to unscrew. Byleth took another moment to listen for anything else coming down the hall toward him. Nothing. 

As quick as he could, he twisted the bolts, sliding them off and tucking them into his cloak. He was surprised they were even loose enough for him to unscrew with his hands. These people really weren’t good at keeping people inside. 

Finally, he got the last one off, and he pushed on the door again. There was a slight grown as the screws slipped out of place and gave way. He listened to the outside for a moment, deeming it safe to poke his head out.

The door lead out into a type of alleyway. The ground was cobbled, and the building he’d been trapped in rose overhead, paired with another a few feet away. It seemed there was no patrols out here. 

He quickly climbed out and shut the door, pushing the bar back into place. 

It was almost too easy. 

Just because he was out didn’t mean he could drop his guard. He still had no weapon. If he was caught by a group, a small knife would do him no good. His father had taught him some hand-to-hand fighting, but he had never been as good at it as sword fighting. 

The alley opened up to a street. It was mostly deserted, save for a few guards milling around a large door nearby. They all seemed to be chatting with each other, not paying attention to anything around them. 

Byleth turned around to see what was toward the back of the alley. Passing by the cellar door again, he stopped to listen, making sure he was still in the clear. 

The back opened up into a field, looking over what appeared to be flower gardens. It was much darker back here, away from the streetlamps. It was also downhill. That was where he needed to go. 

There was a low brick wall following along the edge of the field, perfect for cover if he needed it. The dark of the night lent itself well to the black armor he wore.

As he approached the flower field, crouched low to the ground, he heard someone speaking near a shed on the far side of the land. 

“You can’t stop me from going.” A man’s voice growled. “I know my body. I have to!” 

Another person started crying. Byleth leaned around the stone wall to see someone standing by the shed, and another walking the direction he was planning to go too. 

Something told him to follow the man. 

The guy was fidgety as he stomped through the flowers, looking over his shoulder. He was acting as if someone was following him. But then, someone was. 

He quickly ran into the trees surrounding the village. Byleth kept up with him at a distance, his heavy breathing and footsteps being easy to follow. The trees were dense in this area of the forest, making it easy to trail him without being seen.

The guy picked up the pace as he got deeper into the woods, working himself up into a sprint. Byleth stayed behind, watching the muscles in this man’s legs twitch strangely. It was hard to see in the dark, especially with the trees covering what little moonlight there was, but something about the movements were strange. 

After what felt like a few miles, the man finally came to a clearing. Byleth himself stopped a ways back, trying to find a good angle to spy on the guy as he stood in the center of the grass, panting heavily. 

The majority of trees in this forest were hard to climb. They had long, smooth trunks with little branches withing jumping distance. They weren’t impossible, but it was difficult, and would probably cost him too much noise.

He noticed a thick bush nearby, moving quietly through the fallen sticks and leaves to hide behind it. 

The guy in the clearing was fidgeting with his hands, now in the full light of the sliver left of the moon. It was dim, but Byleth could make out the man’s face. He was thin, almost alarmingly so. His eyes and nose looked too big for his thin, gaunt face. 

Before Byleth could take anything else in about the man, his eyes were drawn to his arms. The skin looked different, something that almost looked like scales popping up over it. 

The man in the clearing twitched, falling to his knees, a strangled cry coming from his throat. Byleth watched in horror as the man’s body contorted and twitched and changed, scales covering ever inch of skin that wasn’t covered. 

In a flash, the man was gone. 

In his place, an enormous beast stood. Byleth had to crane his neck up to try at look at its’ face. Long sharp teeth protruded from its long mouth, a steady stream of drool dripping down into the grass. Byleth followed the stream down to see the man’s torn clothes lying on the grass. 

Byleth had seen a lot of beasts in his life. Many of them were in bad shape, fur falling out, wings torn, feet missing toes, holes in the skin, exposing muscle or bones. That’s why they were beasts. They had something to enrage them, and physical discomfort was often something to add onto that. 

This one had none of those. The shine on the scales was healthy and its claws were groomed. The torso of the beast did look thin, but he wasn’t sure how well he could judge, given he’d never seen one like this before. 

The beast roared, shaking the leaves of the trees over Byleth’s head. A few sticks fell around him. 

The man he’d been following had changed into that. He understood now why his gut told him to follow this man. 

Edelgard had been right. The legends had been right. Dragons were real. 

The beast’s nostrils flared, and it dipped its long neck to sniff around the clearing. That was his clue to leave.

Not worrying about the noise anymore, he took off running, trying to make it downhill. It was hard to tell with all the trees and shallow slope, but he was relying on his internal compass to not fail him. 

The beast behind him screeched again, Byleth’s ears ringing, and he felt a heat creeping up on his neck. He turned to see flames shooting toward him. 

He dove out of the way, rolling against the rocks and sticks. 

This was bad. 

If he’d had his sword, he could have defended himself. He could have put this beast out of its misery. 

He scrambled back up to his feet, trying to make his legs move faster. The flames in the forest grew, smoke quickly filling his lungs. He pulled his dad’s handkerchief from his cloak and pressed it to his nose and mouth, trying to filter the air enough for him to get out of here.

A glance back revealed the beast wasn’t chasing him. It was just standing in the clearing, spewing flames all around it. A few of the trees around the clearing had fallen, blocking off the path he had taken in and out of it. He couldn’t go back even if he wanted.

He tried to focus on running, getting out, getting to the river, but the dark and the smoke and the panic made it hard to think. He didn’t have a map of this part of the forest. All he could do was trust his legs would carry him far enough away to be safe. 

His lungs burned, forcing him to cough more than he could breathe. He tried to keep walking through his coughing fits, but he could barely see when they rattled through his body. Doubled over, clenching his chest, and trying to keep the handkerchief on his face, he stumbled around. 

His foot missed the ground somehow, sending him tumbling down. Byleth braced himself, expecting to hit the hard ground and roll, but instead water filled his mouth and nose. 

Gathering what was left of his wits, he pushed to the surface, shaking the water off his face. He sputtered, spitting it from his mouth. He’d found a pond out here in the middle of the forest somehow. 

He looked up, seeing the small ledge he’d stepped off. Smoke rose from the tree line behind it, but it didn’t seem to be encroaching too fast to this part. 

Byleth coughed again, trying to keep his head above water as he did so. 

The air was clearer here, letting him take a deeper breath to dive under and swim to shallow part of the pond. With his boots firmly on the ground and his waist above the water, Byleth let himself breathe for a moment.

It looked like the wind was picking up, blowing the smoke in the opposite direction from him. Given the smoke rising above the tree line as well, it looked like it was dying out. 

He was too exhausted to think about that right now. All he could do was lean on his knees and take as much air into his lungs as he could. But in the back of his mind, he knew, something was up with those people. That village.

If he wanted to complete this mission, he had to sneak back in somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait to write this one part of this fic   
> but so much to go lol
> 
> hope you all enjoyed!


	6. Dive Right Back In

Byleth woke up with the sun, squinting against the bright light. He hadn’t even bothered with a shelter last night. Laying there on the rocks, he took a deep breath, his chest aching a little after all the coughing and smoke he inhaled last night. 

He was surprised he’d even fallen asleep at all. The last thing he remembered was laying here, eyes wide open, trying to stay awake a little longer to make sure his body was okay. 

He’d woken up, so he guessed he was fine. 

Sitting up, he felt around for the knife he kept with him, finding it close to the water. He dragged himself to his feet. After the smoke yesterday, he felt completely lost in the forest. He could head uphill and find that village again, but he was still unarmed. He doubted they’d be very receptive to an escaped prisoner. 

He remembered that soldier he’d come across. If he could find the river again, he could find his way to the outpost and seek a weapon from their stores. 

Glancing up the hill, he saw the sky was once again clear, just like it had been last time. The air vaguely smelled over smoke, but no more than it would have if someone had just put out a campfire. 

After catching something to eat, Byleth got back into the forest with the goal of finding the river. All he had to go on was continuing downhill. 

Hiking downhill when your lungs still ached wasn’t easy. Byleth had to stop several times to catch his breath and cough. He hated making so much noise, but he couldn’t do anything about it right now. 

The day grew steadily warmer as he continued down, finally reaching an area of the forest that was flat. Byleth continued on, hoping he was going in the right direction. 

Instead he found the other burned clearing instead. Nothing about it had changed, except that a few more leaves and branches had fallen. He glanced around, stepping into the clearing again. It was a landmark and he knew where to go from here.

A small ball caught his eye. The same one that man had tossed and gassed him with. He knelt down to pick it up. It was empty now, nothing inside but some kind of powder. He tossed it up, catching it again. It was too light to do anything but hold that gas. 

“You!” 

Of course.

Byleth turned around, seeing that man again. 

“How did you escape?” The man’s green eyebrows were furrowed in a way his mother always warned him about. 

Byleth smirked at that. “You should think about better locks.” 

The man drew a lance out. That was a surprise. He certainly didn’t look the type.

He ducked under the first stab, letting it fly over his shoulder, carrying the man into him. Byleth dug his elbow into the man’s gut, jarring him enough to make him drop the lance. 

“And keep better grip on your lance.” He winked, picking it up. He twirled it around a few times, watching the man’s face twist. 

“You have no idea what you are messing with.” He growled, holding his stomach. 

“After last night, I think I have a decent idea.” Byleth made a show of barring his teeth. “Big lizard beast. Lots of drool. Fire.”

The man’s eyes widened. “You were there last night.”

Byleth nodded. “I’ve hunted beasts for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never seen them transform.” He pointed to lance at the man, not threatening him, just making a point. “I have the answer the Empress was looking for. Now I just have to take care of it.”

“The Empress?” The man dropped his fighting stance. “You were sent by the Empress?”

“To investigate the fire.” Byleth shrugged. “To make sure it didn’t become a problem for nearby villages.” 

“Well, I assure you, we have the situation under control.” The man made a sweeping gesture. “There is no need for you here.” 

“Last night sure seemed under control.” 

“I do not wish to detain you again. Please, I already had to—” He cut himself off, seeing that he wasn’t penetrating the calm exterior Byleth put off. 

It was true Edelgard sent him here, but now he was curious. He wanted to figure out why the beasts acted as they did, and this place had the answer. These people had the answer. And it started with this man.

“What has your investigation found so far?” If he wanted to pretend his people had this under wraps, he’d probe a little. 

He opened his mouth a few times, starting a sentence to immediately stop himself.

“I’ll take that as very little.” Byleth dug the tail end of the lance into the dirt for a moment, keeping a grip on it while he dug in his cloak. He pulled out the locket he had found his first time here. “Another thing about prisoners. Search them thoroughly before tossing them in a cell.” He let the chain dangle from his fingers.

“Where… did you get that?” The man took a step closer to him, fixated on the locket.

“Found it.” Byleth used the lance to point to the spot he’d picked it up. “Seems personal.” 

The man paused for a moment, eyes flicking back the way he’d come. Byleth watched him, curious. 

“Perhaps….” He spoke again. “I could convince my sister to let you aid us.” He frowned deeply. “You would have to speak with her again, however.”

“You think I would work with you?” Byleth rose an eyebrow.

“Your emperor seeks knowledge of the incident, correct? We seek the same. We do not wish for this keep happening, and yet we cannot figure it out.” He sighed. “I admit I would not have found such an item,” he gestured to the locket still clutched in Byleth’s hand. “Perhaps an agreement will help both us of solve this.” 

Byleth tapped the point of the lance against his chin. “Perhaps.” He glanced around the clearing. He had taken everything he could about the area on his own. This man seemed to understand more of how these beasts worked. “I won’t go back in chains.” He turned back to the man.

“Of course.” He bowed. “On my word, you will remain free.”

“I’ll hold you to that, buddy.”

“You may call me Seteth.” He straightened himself to offer a hand. “May I ask your name?” 

“Byleth.” He shook his hand, keeping the lance away from him. For all he knew, this was a trick. The man seemed straightforward enough, but anyone was capable of deception.

“Byleth, then. Let us return to my home.” He sighed. “I’m sure my daughter will be overjoyed to see you.” 

Seteth turned to head back into the forest. He didn’t even ask for his weapon back. These people were way too trusting. 

Byleth followed him, making a point to stay behind him. “Your daughter. That girl who gave me food?” 

He turned to him. “Don’t speak of that.” His eyes flashed with worry. “My sister… cannot know my daughter disobeyed her. Please, do not mention it within the village walls.”

These people just got more interesting by the minute. 

Seteth cut through the trees like they were nothing. He didn’t even glance at any of them to make note of a specific point. Even back home, to get to his favorite spot, Byleth had to look out for a twisted tree along the path to know where he was. 

He wondered how often Seteth had to venture out of his village if he knew the forest so well. The last fire and yesterday’s situation were only a few days apart. If it happened more often, why hadn’t anyone else taken notice until now? 

“My house is on the edge of our village, so I can get you in without drawing too much attention.” Seteth said to him as they hiked upwards. “I ask you please stay there until I speak with Rhea.” 

Byleth shrugged. He was curious enough about these people to stay for a moment. He had enough information he could threaten them if needed, and after his escape, they wouldn’t be so reliant on their basement dungeon. If they wanted to try attacking him again, he’d be ready this time. He still had a firm grip on Seteth’s lance. 

“I want my sword back as well.” He said, making a point to hazardously twirl the lance, almost catching Seteth in the neck. He wasn’t a fan of lances, but he knew enough to mess around with them. 

“I will see what I can do.” Seteth glared over his shoulder. 

They reached a line of trees that was unnaturally straight and close. Thick, unruly hedges lines the spaces between the trees, making it impossible to see past the line. 

Seteth fished around in his coat, pulling a ring of old, rusted keys out. He walked up to one of the trees, the thickest, oldest one, and pulled some of the bark aside like a blanket. He twisted one of the keys and a door swung out of the tree. 

Byleth kept the surprise off his face but marveled in the way it was hidden. 

“If you guys have that fancy door, why don’t you have a proper dungeon?” Byleth wondered aloud. Or have the wall go all the way around the village? He wouldn’t voice that thought, though.

“People don’t often come here.” Seteth said simply, moving along an alley that threaded between a few houses. He checked around a few corners before continuing. 

The houses were all stone, almost identical to each other. The majority had straw roofs, which made no sense. The forest was no stranger to torrential rains in the spring. But given the strange way this secret village was hidden, he doubted they didn’t have some other way to combat that. 

Seteth stopped at one of the houses, along the tree wall, and opened the door.

“Father! You have returned! Have you found any informat—” Flayn stood from the table she was sitting at and stopped when she saw Byleth file in behind Seteth. 

Byleth offered a wave. “Hey.” 

“You… I was about to go check on you! How did—”

Byleth just shrugged. Flayn gaped a few moments more before Seteth cleared his throat.

“He and I have come to an agreement. Byleth is here to find the cause of the fires as well. He has better eyes than I.” Seteth seemed upset at that fact. “We have agreed,” he almost spat the word, “to help one another.” 

“Oh, Father that is exciting! You haven’t had a partner since—”

“Yes, Flayn. Please, keep an eye on him while I speak with my sister?” 

“Of course Father!” She turned to Byleth. “Did you enjoy the sandwich last night? I can make you another one? Or perhaps you’d like a bath? Your skin looks terribly dirty.”

Seteth shook his head. “I’ll be back soon.” And he was gone again. 

Byleth took that moment to look around the small house. It wasn’t anything special. A wooden table sat in the center of the front room, a few chairs surrounding it. There didn’t look to be a sitting room at all, leaving only the front room and a small kitchen behind a short wall. 

“I’ll make you something to eat.” Flayn realized he wasn’t going to answer her and ran off into the kitchen herself. 

He sat down at one of the dining tables, suddenly realizing how much his body hurt. His chest still ached from last night, and although escaping the village was easy enough, running from a fire wasn’t. He was exhausted and sleeping on pond rocks next to the water wasn’t ideal. 

“I’m so glad to see you, Byleth.” Flayn spoke to him from the kitchen. “I am surprised to know you somehow got out, but that’s okay. My father can talk Rhea into anything!” She brought him a small cup of tea. 

He took a sip of it, having had nothing but pond water to drink this morning. It was crisp. She looked at him eagerly. “It’s good. Thank you.” 

“Where do you come from?” She asked, taking a seat next to him, a little too close.

“A village outside the forest.”

“What’s it like? What do you like to do? Do you have a lot of friends? How many people live there?” Flayn bombarded him with questions. “It’s been so long since I was allowed to leave here.”

She couldn’t have been more than nineteen. How long was “so long” to her? A year? 

Something fizzled in the kitchen, and Flayn jumped up. “Oh no!” She rushed off, leaving him without answering her, which was fine with him. 

After shuffling around in the kitchen for a minute, she came back with something that looked like a burned pancake on a plate. It was flat and black, bits flaking off when she set it down in front of him. The stringy rabbit he’d eaten a few days looked more appetizing then that.

But he wasn’t a picky eater. He peeled a piece off and put it in his mouth. It took everything he had not to gag. It tasted like he’d shoved the ashes from a campfire in his mouth. And not a good quality wood, either. 

Flayn watched him, eyes intent on his face. He might have issues with her father and aunt, but this girl had tried to protect him and give him food. She was innocent and young. 

Pushing his stomach back down, he had another bite. He was glad he wasn’t expressive. 

She smiled when he finished the meal. He took a long drink from the cup of tea she had given him to wash the taste from his mouth, but it somehow stuck around. 

“I’ll go run you a bath now! I’m sure my father will be back soon.” Byleth didn’t really want to bathe in a strange family’s house, but a few moments to himself and getting the smoke off his skin would be nice. 

Just as Byleth was thinking about removing his cloak, the door opened. Seteth stood there, shaking his head. He rose an eyebrow as the man sat across the table from him. 

“It was easier than it should have been to talk her into this.” Seteth explained. “After yesterday, I assumed she would order you dead. She was quite angry.” He sighed, bringing a hand to rub at his beard. “You will stay with us until our investigation is over. Rhea insists I keep a short leash on you.” 

“You can try.” Byleth just shrugged. This man could barely hold onto a lance after getting hit in the stomach. “And my sword?” 

“A courier will bring it by later. Apparently, she threw it somewhere in the stores.” Lovely. That sword was a gift from his father. “We will wait until they arrive, and then we can investigate the spot from yesterday.

Flayn came back then, overly happy smile on her face. “Your bath is ready!” 

Byleth left Seteth at the table and closed the door behind him. He stood in front of a sink, pausing to think.

For what was supposed to be a simple beast hunting mission, this had turned into something crazy. He wondered if Edelgard had known something like this would happen. It was said she had eyes everywhere. To hire him, however, implied she had an idea but no real evidence. 

He sighed, pulling his cloak off and folding it on the floor. He’d deal with this after he didn’t smell like smoke anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all dealing with this isolation business better than me lol
> 
> Enjoy!


	7. We Get Along (For the Most Part)

Byleth had been in this clearing only a few hours prior, but it looked so different now. With night and the flames gone, the clearing was black, with many of the trees he had run through last night burned to near nothing. 

“How did you manage to put out the fire so quickly?” Byleth picked up a scorched branch, watching as the ash flaked away. “That fire would have burned for days.” 

“We have our ways.” Seteth said cryptically, picking through his own pile of burned tree limbs. 

Of course he wouldn’t give him a real answer. 

“Tell me about what you saw last night.” Seteth requested, moving to stand over a stump by him. 

“It was dark, so I didn’t get many of the man’s features. He was scrawny. His skin turned scaly and then he was a dragon and I was running from the flames he shot at me.” He had already said this to him. He’d asked on the way over. 

“You saw nothing else?” 

“He yelled at a woman and then I followed him.” Byleth shrugged, picking up something that looked like charred fabric. He turned it over in his hand.

He held it up to his nose. Anything that was there was gone now, thanks to the smoke. 

“How you managed to outrun that… beast… is beyond me.” Seteth shook his head. “You are a mystery, Byleth.”

He just shrugged. “That’s what everyone says.” 

He heard that a million times since he was a child. He didn’t use his expressions to convey his emotions the way the other kids did, and so, they found him hard to read. And it hadn’t changed as he grew up. Even his father found him difficult to understand at times. 

Seteth scoffed and went back to searching through everything. 

Byleth just went back to what he doing as well.

There had to be something here that wasn’t burned to a crisp. Something similar to that locket he had found.

And then he saw it. 

A cloud moved from the sun overhead and a piece of metal caught the ray, shining back at him. It was dim, but it still caught his attention. 

A short chain necklace laid under a pile of burned brush. Byleth kneeled down to pick it up. The clasp was broken, a few links missing, living the string connecting them bare and burned. Nothing that would reveal who owned it hung off.

Something else was next to it.

It almost looked like a human finger. The knuckles were strange and broken, and the fingernail was long, a sickly green color.

“Hey, Seteth.” Byleth called over his shoulder, picking it up. He was glad he wore gear on his hands. 

A strange liquid oozed from the end of it. It definitely wasn’t blood. He turned it over to look at the pad of the finger, finding the prints completely gone. It was smooth.

“What did you find?” 

“This,” he held up the chain, dropping it into Seteth’s hand. “And this.” He held the finger up, trying not to touch the weird fluid dripping from it. 

Seteth handed the chain back and took the finger. “Rhea will not be happy about this.” 

“What does it mean?” 

“It means she will find out who did this.” Seteth pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, wrapping the finger in it delicately. “I believe we should get back.” 

\---

Byleth hated standing behind Seteth, seeing that woman’s eyes bore into him. Her gaze was unsettling. Byleth had never had nightmares as a child, but he imagined if he had, he would have seen her glare. 

Seteth handed over the finger, watching her unwrap it. 

“We found this at the scene of the fire, along with a chain.” He nodded for Byleth to hand it over.

She gave him a sickly sweet smile as he dropped the chain in her open hand. He hated it. 

“Quite the interesting find, you two. Perhaps your imprisonment, Byleth,” the way she said his name made his stomach turn, “was too hasty. It is lovely you and Seteth get along so well.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Seteth muttered under his breath. Byleth would agree. 

“I’m just here to get a job done.” Byleth said. 

“Your people must adore you.” 

“They don’t.” 

Rhea gave him a strange look but moved on. “Thank you. I will sort this individual out. You two are free to go.” She turned to Seteth. “Perhaps our lovely guest would like a tour of our humble home?” Clearly, it was not a suggestion. 

Seteth nodded and gave her a short bow, grabbing Byleth by the elbow to pull him from the room with him.

The heavy doors shut behind them, allowing Seteth to slump his shoulders a little. He breathed out, shaking his head.

“Some sister you got there.” Byleth smirked at him. 

“Let’s just get out of here.” Seteth started walking, showing him the actual way out of this place this time. “You should feel lucky she did not throw you back in the cell.”

“I’d have got out again.” 

“Perhaps.” 

They were back out on the streets of the village. Seteth walked down one of the roads, boots hitting the brick heavily. He’d never sneak around like that. 

Byleth stayed a few steps behind him, taking note of the village. The only part of the village that seemed to have that tree fence was the entrance down the hill. How could that possibly keep people in or out? 

Seteth took the long way back to his house, pointing out various landmarks in the town. They had a butcher and blacksmith, much like his own did, but the people running them were much less animated. The meat the butcher had hanging in his shop didn’t look very good either. 

No one else walked the streets with them. He felt like he was in one of the horror stories he once read as a teenager. 

“What’s gonna happen to that guy?” Byleth asked, dying to put some kind of noise in this dead village. 

“That is up to Rhea.” Seteth answered, a sad look coming to his face. “I hope she remains rational.” 

Byleth let him stew over that. 

They got back to Seteth’s house, and Seteth set his weapon near the door, sighing heavily. 

Flayn popped out of the hallway, sweet smile on her face. “Father! Byleth! You have returned!” 

Seteth nodded to his daughter, trying to mask the exhaustion that was just there a moment again. 

“Did you find anything?” 

“We did. It’s in Rhea’s possession now.” 

A look of worry came across Flayn’s face. These two were making it clear his unease with that woman wasn’t unfounded. 

“This Rhea. What’s her deal?” Byleth asked, helping himself to a seat at the table. It was uncomfortable with his sword still on his hip, but he was still wary of this whole situation. 

Flayn frowned deeply. “Lately… she has been different. She’s acting as she once did, so many years ago.” 

Neither of them seemed willing to elaborate on that. 

“Byleth! While you and Father were gone, I made up our spare room for you.” Flayn quickly changed the subject.

Byleth followed her down the hall. The spare room was mostly empty, save for a cot tucked against a corner. It had only been a day, but he felt like he hadn’t slept in years at that moment. 

“I left a blanket for you as well.” Flayn pointed it out. 

“Thanks.” 

Flayn left him, shutting the door behind him. 

Byleth took his cloak off, dropping it near the door. He laid out on the cot, happy to lay down, even for a moment. His body still ached a bit from his ordeal the night before, but he had mostly gotten rid of the cough. Neither Seteth nor Flayn had asked him about it. 

All Seteth had done was ask him how he got out and the path he took to follow that man.

He wondered what happened to that man after he fell from that short cliff. The fire was gone, so obviously someone had seen and come to him. Had the man left before? Was he even still a man? Perhaps the dragon had just stomped off and disappeared into the woods.

Of course, a beast that big would have been easy to track. Byleth would have likely left Seteth if it had left a trail, despite the fact he had said they weren’t supposed to go after him.

As he laid there, with his eyes shut, he remembered the locket.

They hadn’t handed it over to Rhea. It was still in his pocket.

Getting up, he pulled it out of his cloak and laid back down. With the dim sunlight still shining in, he turned it over again. Trying to pry open the latch, it creaked in his fingers. It still wouldn’t open. 

He looked at the small wooden table next to him. He set the locket up, hinge down, and took out his knife. He left it covered, lining up the handle with the crack separating the two pieces. He hit it, hearing the hinge creak again. Once more and it popped open.

He peeled a small piece of canvas from the inside. There was once an image painted on it, but age had taken its toll. Many of the colors were faded and hard to distinguish.

The only thing he could make out was two people. Both with that strange green hair that matched his mother’s. The color and detail were hard to make out, but one of them almost looked Rhea.

Something twisted in his stomach. He knew something was up with that woman. If this was her locket, and she was the one who burned that section of the forest, what could it possibly mean?

She was clearly in charge of these people. Seteth followed her. Flayn seemed scared of her. 

She also didn’t seem to add up to the guy he’d followed last night. That man looked ready to fall over from starvation. He was all bony limbs and wired eyes. The few words he’d heard him shout were strained and angry.

Rhea did seem to be angry, but her anger was just boiling under the surface. He had seen it before in other nobles, especially when Byleth didn’t want to do what they said. That didn’t explain the sickening feeling he always got when she was around him too. 

That man had intrigued him. Byleth’s gut had compelled him to follow. He felt no unease outside of suspicion about the man. 

What would Seteth say if Byleth suddenly accused his sister of burning a forest down and bringing him here? He doubted they would still be getting along as tentatively as they were. Perhaps he would bring up the idea to Flayn first. She seemed more concerned for her aunt’s wellbeing.

He put the canvas back and closed the locket, tucking it inside his pant pocket, and laid back down. The sun was lowering itself behind the tree line, casting his room into darkness. 

He could sleep on it. 

\---

Something pulled him from his sleep. In an instant he was awake, on his feet. He’d left his boots on, and his hand found his sword laying next to him. 

A glance out the window in his room revealed nothing to him. It was still dark out, a gentle breeze swaying in the trees. 

Something like a squeal echoed against the window, the glass shuttering at the noise. Byleth threw the door open. He knew that sound. 

As he rushed into the front room of the house, Flayn burst through the door. “Father!” Her voice was high and panicked. “Byleth? What are you do—”

He didn’t let her finish, pushing past her to get out the door.

Only a beast could make that kind of sound. He threw the sheath of his sword on the ground outside the house, forgoing attaching it to his waist like he usually would. 

Drawing on the brief tour of the village Seteth had given him, he followed the noise to the village entrance. The trees forming a wall were beginning to splinter at the trunks. He was aware a few other people had shown up in the road as well, many of them in loose sleepwear, yawning at the hour. 

Another squeal and the trees fell, a huge black boar bursting through. A woman behind him screamed. The boar bucked its head back, that horrendous noise vibrating through every bone of his body. 

A steady stream of saliva dripped off the beast’s broken tusks. Patches of fur were missing from its head, dark red scabs covering many of them. The eyes were unfocused, darting around the area. An open wound leaked from its face, likely from breaking through the trees.

The beast tossed its head to the side, hitting a streetlight, knocking it out of the ground. He had to get its attention somehow.

Typically, when he fought beasts with his father, they were out in the forest or mountains, an open area with no people around. He had to draw it to him without destroying too much of the village. 

Byleth pulled his knife out, dragging it against a stone wall nearby. The sound made his ears ring, but it also made the beast’s wild eyes focus on him. 

It screeched again, riling itself up to charge again. Byleth tossed the knife aside, and gripped his sword again. The beast dugs it hooves into the ground and dipped its head to charge. 

Byleth rolled out of the way of its charge, letting the edge of his sword run across the beast’s side. The beast passed him, toppling over as it howled in pain. Blood flowed from the new wound, dripping onto the stone. 

It began to stumble to its feet, slipping on its own blood as its eyes refocused on Byleth. Byleth pulled his sword back over his shoulder, staring the beast down. His shoulders tensed, ready to swing when it charged again. 

It did, and again, Byleth let it, waiting for his moment to strike. This time, it stumbled on its legs, tripping just in front of him, opening its neck up to a swift strike into the flesh. Byleth let his sword dig into the muscle and dragged it down. Blood spilled out, covering both him and his sword. 

The beast wailed, a much weaker cry than earlier. 

With another swift movement, Byleth pulled his sword out and stabbed it deep within the beast’s eye socket. The blade cut through the soft tissue with ease, deep inside the beast’s skull. 

Its other eye stilled, and the twitching movements it was trying to muster stopped. Byleth took his sword back, knocking the tip against the stone pavement to knock what he could off. It was covered in blood and now the contents of the beast’s eye and skull. He’d have to polish it again.

He glanced behind the beast to make sure it hadn’t damaged anything when it charged him the first time. It looked like it scraped against the side of one house, but no real damage was sustained. 

“Byleth….” Seteth’s voice came from the crossroad. 

“What the hell is this beast doing here?” He used his sword to point at the beast as it took its last stuttering breath. 

“I—”

He saw Flayn behind him, holding his cloak in her arms. He walked over to her to take it from her, reaching inside one of the pockets. He pulled out the pouch of herbs his father made him keep.

He hung it on a low wall and went back to the dead beast. 

He pulled out a small handful of them, crushing the big chunks between his fingers. He sprinkled it over the beast’s head, muttering the words his father had taught him since he was a child. 

Seteth and Flayn’s eyes watched him as he did. He could feel them. He let the rest of the herbs in his hand fall into the beast’s open, dead eyes.

Finally done with the ritual, he stepped back. He pressed a finger to his nose, trying to let the adrenaline die down. 

Flayn appeared beside him, holding his cloak once more. “How did you know that thing was going to attack us?” She asked, her voice small. 

Byleth looked at her. She looked so tiny next to the beast. 

“I know what they sound like.” He didn’t ask for his cloak back. He was still dripping in the thing’s blood. 

Seteth came over to join his daughter and Byleth felt his anger boil up again. “What did you do to it?” He could see people beginning to poke their heads out of their doors and windows. 

“Me?”

“No. This whole place. They don’t just attack out of nowhere.” 

“We’ve never….”

“Seteth, please.” Byleth felt his stomach drop at that voice. Rhea was here.

She stood at the top of the hill, her robes clean and stark against the early morning sunrise. Her face wore an expression of calm, unbothered curiosity. He hated it. 

“Tell me, how did you take that… creature down so easily?” She asked, stepping closer to all of them. 

“It’s my job.” 

She hummed in acknowledgement. “I have never seen a human so cleanly kill one of them.”

Byleth didn’t respond. He only let his eyes narrow a fraction. She circled the beast, taking in the wounds it had. 

“Why did it attack?” Byleth asked again.

If this had something to do with those fires….

Rhea turned to him again. “That I do not know.” She stepped away from the carcass and bowed deeply toward him. “What I do know, is that you have saved many of our lives. For that, I will thank you.” 

She walked over to Seteth, muttering something to him that he frowned at. Byleth didn’t care for the way his eyebrows furrowed together at her request. 

“I think we should all get back to sleep now.” She rose her voice, echoing around the street to those watching from their homes. Several of the civilians ducked back in their houses, clearly startled. Others were slower about it, but obeyed nonetheless. 

“I will get some of the guards out here to clean this up within the hour.” She said to Seteth, loud enough for Byleth to hear. 

And with that, she was walking back up the hill to her pretty little mansion at the top. With her back to him, he let a scowl come across his face for a moment. 

“Byleth, come. Let’s go back to the house.” Seteth called him, his voice shaking on his name. 

There was nothing he could do for now. If his dad was here, they would load it up on their cart and take it to the butcher. The least they could do to a fallen beast was let it nourish others. Perhaps he could persuade Seteth to tell Rhea that. Not that he expected she’d follow his wishes. 

As he walked by the beast to head back, he noticed something strange on its underbelly.

A large puncture wound, dripping with some kind of strange slime. It looked almost the same as what was leaking out of that finger. Seteth called him again, and he looked over. 

“I don’t like this.” He muttered to no one but himself.


	8. In All My Thoughts

Byleth didn’t go back to sleep. He sat up in the spare room, letting his mind turn over everything he’d seen. 

Seteth had immediately disappeared into his own room when they got back into their house. Flayn had stayed up for a minute to look Byleth over for injuries, despite Byleth telling her he was fine. Then she insisted she wash his blood-soaked clothes. She’d taken a pair of pants from Seteth’s laundry and gave it to him. 

Byleth got up and headed back out into the front room. He needed to do something to make this situation make sense. Maybe taking a walk would help him process everything and come to a conclusion. 

He wasn’t a detective by any means, but he knew beasts and how they functioned. They were easy to track. A lot of their less aggressive habits were the same as their smaller, less deranged counterparts. 

As he stepped out in the room, ready to grab his clothes, Flayn was there in the kitchen, humming. 

“Byleth!” She smiled brightly at him. “You’re awake!”

“I didn’t sleep.” 

“Oh.” Flayn didn’t have a response to that. “I made food?”

Byleth looked to the door. He had planned to walk around, but he also didn’t know this place very well. Perhaps he could convince Flayn to go with him. She was a sweet enough girl and trusting. Maybe she could tell him about the people here. 

“Thanks.” She brought him a plate over and sat across from him. 

They sat in silence for a brief moment before he could tell Flayn was fishing for something to say. 

“So. Dragons?” Byleth started instead. Perhaps she knew something about that man who turned into one.

Flayn laughed awkwardly. “I guess Father told you, then.” Byleth didn’t follow, but he let her continue. “We used to transform all the time. But then the war happened, and we changed out laws.” 

Transform? All of these people could change into dragons? Byleth frowned. All of the stories he had ever heard never mentioned people turning into beasts.

Of course, now he had seen it. He had watched that man turn into a dragon and breathe fire at him. It still seemed like something out of a children’s story. 

“All of you can change?” Byleth asked, frowning. 

“Well, Father and I gave up our transformations a long time ago.” Flayn waved the statement off. “I never liked it very much.” 

“How did that happen?” 

Flayn’s face fell. That was clearly not the question to ask. Byleth was never one to mince words or dance around another’s feelings, but Flayn was kind. He almost took the statement back before she responded.

“The war. I sustained a terrible injury. To recover, I used the power that allows us to change.” She remained vague, but that was fine. Byleth didn’t need the gruesome details of whatever had happened. He could guess. He was no stranger to a fight. 

“And Seteth?” 

“My father gave his up when my mother died.” Flayn said, her voice getting quiet. Clearly that was something she didn’t like to talk about. 

Byleth let her speak again at her own pace. 

“Are your parents still alive, Byleth?” She finally asked, turning the conversation away form her and what he wanted to know.

“Yeah. I usually work with my dad.” 

“Not this time?”

“No. I was requested to come alone.” 

“What about your mother?” Flayn asked.

“She grows flowers in our village and helps some of the old people.” 

Flayn’s eyes lit up. “I love flowers! What kind does she grow?” 

Byleth shrugged. He’d never learned the names of flowers. He’d barely learned the names of children he grew up with. “She changes them a lot.” 

It had only been a few days since he’d left his village, barely a week, but he wondered how his mother was doing. She was probably talking his dad’s ear off, and his old man was probably fawning over her in return. Dad was always so sweet on her. 

He should probably send a report to the empress as well. He had learned a lot, and he was sure she was curious as to where he was. This wasn’t an easy case to solve. 

It’d be hard to find a messenger bird at this point, however. And he was a good way away from the nearest fort. Although, seeing that one guard’s face would be fun. Perhaps, if he had the chance, he would try to find the fort they were stationed at. 

“Flayn, I’d like to ask about that Rhea.” 

“Oh. Of course you would.” She gave him a fake smile. “She’s wonderful. Usually, anyway. For the past several years, she has acted different. It’s like she was during the war, all those years ago. It’s like she’s angry.” 

“What could she be angry about?” 

Flayn shook her head. “That I do not know. She never shared her anger with Father or me. I have tried to ask, but she hasn’t been the same.” She looked over to the window, a faraway look coming to her face. “I hope she recovers soon.”

Clearly, he wouldn’t be able to ask Flayn about her aunt’s strange behavior. She was just a girl who was upset by her relative’s apparent change. He had seen the way Rhea had treated her when he was imprisoned. It was a brief interaction, but spoke of many more like it. 

“Have other… humans come here?” It was strange to phrase it that way. But that’s what they all called him. And they weren’t exactly human, so it made sense, in a strange way. 

“Oh yes. We’ve had several! The last one… didn’t make it. He was injured in the forest when Father found him. Rhea interrogated him and then wouldn’t let me bring him food or water. I was too scared to sneak him food.” 

“How long ago was that?”

Flayn paused, as if she couldn’t remember. “Twenty years ago? Yes, I believe so. It can be hard to keep track of human years.”

Ignoring how weird that sentence was, Byleth thought about how exhausting being angry for that long must be. That was nearly his entire life. He couldn’t imagine holding any emotion for that long. 

As Byleth was about to ask another question, Seteth’s door finally opened, and he appeared in the front room. He was put together already, his thick robes back on and cleaned. 

Speaking of robes. “Flayn, are my clothes dry?” 

Flayn jumped up. “Oh yes! I had nearly forgotten!” She ran down the hall and disappeared. 

Seteth watched his daughter run by him, soft smile on his face. Byleth folded his arms and stared at the man. He wondered if Seteth knew more about his sister’s schemes, which he was now sure of, then he had previously let on. 

“You should get ready to go.” Byleth said, interrupting whatever the man was thinking. Seteth turned to him, confused. “We’re finding that beast’s den. Can’t have more of them showing up.” 

“Don’t they hunt alone?”

“Depends.” 

“On what?” 

“On how pissed off you make them.” 

“I told you already, we did nothing to—”

“Just get ready.” Byleth cut him off. As soon as Flayn was back with his things, he was going whether Seteth came or not. And he figured Seteth wouldn’t want to be shown up. Or his natural curiosity would prevent him from staying behind. 

Seteth scoffed and returned to his room, leaving Byleth alone in the front room. 

What a frustrating man. He almost couldn’t believe Flayn, the sweet innocent girl who insisted on feeding and washing his clothes, even though he was stranger, was his child. If it weren’t the similar features, he’d second guess that. 

Flayn returned and handed him his freshly cleaned pants and shirt with a bright smile. “Here you go, Byleth! No more bloodstains!” 

“Thanks.” 

After changing and tying his sword back around his waist, he returned to the front room to see Seteth waiting for him. 

“Ready?”

“I don’t know what good it will do, but I was instructed to accompany you wherever you—”

“Don’t care. Come on.” Byleth rolled his eyes at Seteth’s launch into a speech. This guy was unbearable. 

Seteth led the way out of town. Not that anything could stop Byleth from leaving. They had a huge gap in their wall of trees, not to mention the hole busted through by the boar beast this morning. 

This village was very strange. Back home, the wall they created circled the whole village. There were many gates, of course, to allow travel to and from the village, but it was sealed and guarded. Parts of the wall were falling into disrepair, but the village head was working on patching them up. 

But these people lived here in the deep forest, alone. They had no guards stationed anywhere that he had seen, outside of the building Rhea hid away in. There had been no one at that tree door Seteth had led him through. There were so many things about this place that didn’t add up.

Of course, if Flayn was telling the truth, and she didn’t seem the type to lie, if they could all turn into dragons, was there really any threat to them? 

He hadn’t seen anyone jump into action this morning, however. Everyone seemed quite content to let him do all the work. A few of the villagers he had seen as he passed them on the way back were shaking, terrified. 

Not what he’d expect from people who turn into fire breathing giant lizards.

They passed the street where he’d killed the beast earlier. There were a few darker spots along the brick path, but most of the blood he’d spilled was gone. Likely scrubbed away by whatever crew Rhea had put together. He would have liked to have more time to investigate the carcass, but the situation didn’t allow for it. 

A few of the villagers were milling about, talking with their neighbors. They watched them as they passed by. Byleth was used to people whispering about him. He was a quiet, expressionless man in a village of lively people. His mother and father loved the village and had friends, where he liked to sit alone at festivals, or just not come to them. 

But something about these whispers set his hair on end. He tried to hear what they were saying, but he couldn’t make it out over the footsteps of both himself and Seteth. It was almost as Seteth was stepping louder than he would, just so he couldn’t. It was a ridiculous idea, but this place never followed any rule he knew.

Thankfully they reached the hole in the front gate, stepping over what was left of the tall trees that once guarded this entrance. He wondered how they would possibly fix the wall. It would take years for those trees to regrow to their height. 

Byleth led the way out of the village, following the destruction of trees and large tracks. Seteth remained silent behind him. Byleth was fine with that. When he and his dad were tracking a beast, they often shared no words. They needed it to be quiet.

The tracks led them to an open clearing, a few fallen trees spread around. The trail ended there. 

“What do we do now?”

“This is probably the clearing where it’s rage took hold.” Byleth kneeled down in the grass, picking up a few stray sticks to inspect them. “There’s still a trail. We just have to find it.” 

Byleth went to one of the trees, inspecting the trunk where it split from its roots. It was likely a cause of high wind or lightning, not a rampaging boar. They had been downed for much longer than that beast had existed as well.

“What are we looking for?” 

“Have you never hunted before? Tracks, broken branches, scratch marks, anything from an animal.” Byleth rolled his eyes. Now that they weren’t hunting dragons, Seteth was useless. 

“I’ve been hunting.” 

“Sure, you have.” Byleth kicked a rock over and was hit with an odd smell.

It was chemical, definitely not something that would occur naturally.

He kneeled down, picking up the small rock. He grimaced as the smell got closer to his face. It was strong. He ran a finger along the underside of the rock. It came back covered in a sticky film. 

It was the same liquid that oozed from that finger.

“Seteth.”

Seteth was by him in an instant, also crinkling his nose in disgust. “What is that?”

“I don’t know. But it’s the same as that finger we found.” Byleth coughed at the smell continuing to assault him. “Smells worse, though.” 

“Indeed.” Seteth took the rock from him, examining it himself. “What could possibly have made this? I’ve never seen such a thing occur in our forest.” 

“Seteth, what do you know of your sister’s hobbies?” 

“What are you suggesting?” His eyes narrowed, a dangerous frown coming to his lips.

Byleth leveled his gaze at him, keeping the emotion away from his own face. Seteth just got angrier.

“Are you suggesting this is her doing?” 

“Maybe.” Byleth nodded back toward the village. “Where was she when her people were being attacked, Seteth?”

“She… She was….” 

“Was what?”

“Word probably did not reach her in time.” 

“That thing screamed awful loud.”

“She always was a heavy sleeper.”

Byleth sighed. Arguing about this was pointless. “Flayn mentioned how she’s been angry.” 

That stopped Seteth’s protests. He didn’t respond, just looked toward his boots. Byleth watched as a few expressions ran over his face. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, and never finished his thoughts. 

“I don’t know what happened to her.” Finally, he spoke, covering his face with his hand. He found a fallen tree to sit on. “She was doing much better.”

“Why was she angry in the first place?” Byleth didn’t know people very well, but if he could find a reason to tie Rhea to this situation, perhaps he could convince Seteth to take his theory seriously. 

“When our mother died, she took it the hardest. I’m sure Flayn told you, we are a very old people. We were around during the territory wars over a thousand years ago. Rhea started that war in her anger.” Seteth shook his head. “We lost the war, forced into isolation and rumored extinction. But it was good for her. As the years went by, the less human contact we had, the happier she seemed.”

It was almost impossible that that was the truth. But then, it was almost impossible that a human could turn into a dragon. 

“I should have never agreed to this mission.” Byleth muttered to himself. He wasn’t a detective. He wasn’t here to solve people’s problems. He had only come out here to hunt down a monster so it wouldn’t threaten his village. That’s all he ever wanted or needed to do. This had gotten way out of hand.

“I… apologize.” Seteth said. “If I had never attacked you in that clearing… perhaps you wouldn’t have gotten wrapped into it.”

“Maybe. But I’d probably still be around. I was told to bring a beast back.” Byleth had agreed to a lot of stupid missions before, but this one was the worst. His father wasn’t here to back him up and he was surrounded by a group of people who could apparently change into beasts as they wanted.

“I will not allow you kill any—”

“Relax. I never said dead.” Byleth waved him off, sitting next to him. “Edelgard told me to try and get them alive.” He wasn’t so sure he could get anything, especially if they were normal people.

“That puts my mind at ease.” 

“I am curious. If you’re people can turn into dragons, how did you lose that war?” Byleth was a skilled a fighter, and he knew how to handle himself against a bigger opponent, but he doubted he could take on an army of dragon people. 

“We cannot transform for too long or too often, lest our minds be corrupted by the power. We lose our senses, begin to lash out at friends and family. At a certain point, we lose our ability to shift back. That is what caused us to lose. Many of our soldiers lost themselves to the transformation. My two brothers were among them.” Seteth shook his head, taking a steadying breath. Clearly it was hard for him to talk about. “Humans are resilient. They always found a way to exploit that weakness.” 

Byleth knew he was right. He himself had done so a thousand times in his own battles with beasts. He knew they were angry. He knew they had no senses left about them, and he used it to take them out. 

Seteth continued. “After the war, to prevent that madness from occurring again, Rhea put in place an order to only transform at certain times of the year. It has become a ritual. That’s why the fires are so strange. No one would willingly break her order.” 

Byleth thought back on that man he’d followed. He had seemed defiant. He didn’t mention Rhea once when he was yelling at that woman. He only said he knew his own body. 

“The past twenty or so years, Rhea has relaxed on that order, allowing for more transformations, but not as many as we once did, when we were young. It has only been a few more a year.”

“Why would she relax that order?” 

Seteth shook his head. Another thing Rhea never shared with her family then. 

“She might be your sister, Seteth, but something is off with her.” Byleth stood up, ready to scour the area again. He had come here to look for a den, and that’s what he’d find at the end of the day. 

“Byleth—”

“No. We’re finding the beast’s den.” He was tired of trying to translate what Seteth told him about these people.

He had a better picture what he was dealing with now, but he still had no idea what Rhea or whoever else was planning. He was sure that beast had been disrupted by whoever gave it that liquid. It was chemical, made by human, or human-like, hands. 

None of this was occurring naturally, and like it or not, finding out who was causing it was his job.  
/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait on this guys. I'm back at work and its eating up all my time, along with FF7r. The schedule may be shaky for a bit.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


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